Skip to main content

Full text of "Wrecked on Labrador"

See other formats 


WRECKED  ON   LABRADOR, 


-N 

WINFRID   AY  STEARNS, 

AUTHOR  OP  "NEW  ENGLAND  BIRD  LIFE,"  "LABRADOR,"  ETC. 


NEW   YORK: 

THOMAS  Y.   CROWELL   &   CO., 
13  ASTOR  PLACE. 


Copyright, 

BY  THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  Jfc  Co. 
1888. 


TYPOGRAPHY  BY  J.  8.  GUSHING  &  Co.,  BOSTON. 


INTRODUCTION. 


adventures  of  the  Benton  Family  in  their  two 
-*-  trips  to  Labrador  are  based  upon  personal  expe- 
riences. 

The  story  is,  in  large  measure,  a  transcript  of  the 
writer's  own  diary ;  but  the  characters  described  would 
never  be  identified,  since,  in  most  cases,  their  individu- 
alities are  taken  and  combined  from  many  people  whom 
he  met  in  his  numerous  visits  to  that  region,  covering  a 
period  of  thirteen  years. 

The  intention  has  been  to  present  in  a  simple  and 
natural  way  to  young  readers  some  knowledge  of  a  com- 
paratively unknown  land,  and  yet  the  one  first  visited 
and  peopled  on  the  New  Continent,  the  claim  to  its  dis- 
covery having  been  disputed  by  the  English,  French, 
Welsh,  Irish,  Icelanders,  and  Norsemen. 

The  customs  and  habits  in  "  the  Labrador "  are  de- 
cidedly archaic  remnants  of  the  life  of  nearly  three  cen- 
turies ago ;  that  is,  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
people  living  in  Labrador  at  the  present  time  are  quite 
similar  to  those  which  obtained  in  England  and  France 
in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries.  The  majority 
of  the  early  inhabitants  were  French  fishermen. 


iv  INTRODUCTION. 

Another  thought  has  actuated  the  writer.  It  is  that 
of  interesting  the  young  of  both  sexes  in  the  study  of 
natural  history.  To  them  he  would  say:  "Do  not  w;iit 
to  discover  a  new  region  before  collecting  specimens  for 
forming  a  museum  of  natural  history.  Begin  at  once ! 
Begin  anywhere !  Your  own  door-yards  will  furnish  you 
wonders  which  you  had  not  previously  even  suspected. 
First  learn  Jiow  to  collect  and  study,  and  your  interest 
will  soon  awaken  for  further  investigations  in  a  field 
practically  limitless  in  the  enticing  pleasures  by  which 
it  allures  you  toward  nature,  and  from  nature  to  nature's 
God." 

W.   A.   S. 

CAMBRIDGEPOBT,  May  10, 1888. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

CHAPTBB  PAGB 

I.     THE  ADVERTISEMENT 1 

II.     OFF  FOR  LABRADOR 13 

III.  ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX 30 

IV.  How  A  REVOLVER  CAUSED  IMMENSE  COMMOTION    .     .  51 
V.     FIRST  SIGHT  OF  LABRADOR 75 

VI.    FIRST  DAY  ON  SHORE 89 

VII.     COLLECTING  SPECIMENS 103 

VIII.    AN  UNEXPECTED  SPECIMEN 117 

IX.       HOW    THE    BOYS    PRESERVED    THEIR    SPECIMENS     .       .       .  134 

X.     SUNDAY 149 

XI.       HOW  THE  BOYS  DREDGED  ON  THE  TRIP  "  DOWN  ALONG  "  164 

XII.     WHAT  MR.  MURPHY  AND  THE  BOYS  LEARNED  ABOUT 

CODFISH.  —  A  CURLEW  HUNT 179 

XIII.  WHAT  MR.  FURNESS  AND  THE  BOYS  LEARNED  ABOUT 

SEALS 194 

XIV.  HOMEWARD  BOUND 209 

PART  II. 

I.     THE  SHIPWRECK 224 

II.     AN  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY 237 

III.  UNLOADING  THE  WRECK ,  251 

IV.  A  BIG  HAUL                             266 


VI 


TABLE    OF  CONTENTS. 


t  II  MTKB  !•.*«.  P. 
V.       HOW  THE    BOYS   MADE   A   FOGGY  DAY  A  VERY  PLEAS- 
ANT ONE 280 

VI.     How  THE  FOGGY  WEATHER  CLEARED  AT  LAST,  BOTH 

INDOORS  AND  OUT 292 

VII.    THE    BOYS   EXPLORE    THE    COUNTRY,    AND    FIND    A 

CAVE 300 

VIII.     EXPLORING    THE    CAVE,    AND    WHAT    WAS    FOUND 

THERE 321 

IX.     RETURNING   HOME,   MR.  TAYLOR   GIVES   THE   BOYS 

SOME  BITS  OF  INTERESTING  INFORMATION  .     .     .  335 

X.     FISHING  FOR  COD 350 

XI.     CAST  AWAY  UPON  AN  ISLAND 365 

XII.    THE  RESCUE,  AND  A  BIG  DINNER 381 

XIII.  A  PICNIC 396 

XIV.  A  TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG" 409 

XV.     BEATING  ABOUT  THE  BUSH 422 

XVI.     THE  RETURN,  THE  UP  TRIP,  AND  A  NEW  AND  TER- 
RIBLY EXCITING  SCENE 435 

XVII.    THE  ARRIVAL 448 

XVIII.    THE  CONCLUSION    .                                                         .  460 


WRECKED    ON   LABRADOR. 


PART   I. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE    ADVERTISEMENT. 

""YTTIFE!" 

V  V   «  Well,  John." 

"  I  wonder  what  this  means  ?  " 

"  I  must  certainly  know  to  what  you  refer,  in  order  to 
answer  your  question  with  any  degree  of  intelligence." 

"  H'm,  yes ! "  said  Mr.  Benton,  as  he  looked  up  from 
the  paper  which  he  was  busy  reading  —  at  the  same  time 
lifting  his  coffee-cup  from  the  table,  and  taking  a  slow, 
steady,  and  apparently  satisfactory  drink  at  its  contents. 
"  H'm,  yes  !  Read  it  yourself,  read  it  yourself,  —  aloud." 
And  Mr.  Benton  passed  the  paper  over  to  his  wife,  while 
he  proceeded  to  the  more  solid  enjoyment  of  the  remain- 
ing contents  of  his  coffee-cup  and  the  small  end  of  a 
brown  roll,  thickly  spread  with  fresh,  home-made  butter. 

Mrs.  Benton,  thus  apostrophized,  carefully  adjusted 
her  spectacles  and  proceeded  as  follows : 

"OFF   FOR   LABRADOR. 

The  fast-sailing  schooner,  North  Star,  will  leave  Rowe's  Wharf, 
Boston,  on  Wednesday,  July  19th,  (three  weeks  from  date,)  for  a 


2  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

summer's  cruise  in  this  new  and  most  fascinating  region,  for  tlte 
purpose  of  shooting,  fishing,  exploring,  and  pleasuring.  The  trip 
will  occupy  eight  weeks,  and  excursionists  are  expected  to  provide 
themselves  with  all  things  needful  before  leaving,  so  as  to  prevent 
til-lay  at  any  of  the  vessel's  stopping  places.  A  special  circular 
will  be  sent  to  all  who  apply,  telling  just  what  to  get  and  where  to 
get  it.  Come!  to  the  region  of  seals,  ducks,  gulls,  trout,  salmon, 
and  icebergs. 

Write  at  once  for  particulars  to,  or  call  on, 

R.  U.  READY, 
17  Noland  Wharf,  Boston,  Mass." 

Mrs.  Benton  folded  the  paper  carefully  and  laid  it  upon 
the  table ;  then  she  glanced  over  the  rims  of  her  specta- 
cles in  the  direction  of  Mr.  Benton  —  just  as  that  gentle- 
man, having  finished  his  coffee  and  replaced  the  cup  in 
its  saucer,  adjusted  his  eyeglasses,  and  beamed  towards 
his  partner  opposite. 

"  H'm,  yes,  h'm-m-m ! " 

Just  what  Mr.  Benton's  reflections  were  will  appear 
later ;  Mrs.  Beuton,  however,  understood  them  fully. 

The  scene  of  the  above  conversation  was  a  pleasant, 
old-fashioned  house,  a  few  miles  out,  "in  the  country," 
from  Boston,  and  within  an  easy  walk  of  the  railroad 
station.  It  had  a  large  lawn  about  it ;  it  was  some  dis- 
tance from  the  road ;  and  it  was  surrounded  by  hedges, 
and  trees,  and  bushes  of  every  sort.  The  dining-room 
was  enlivened  by  the  view  of  a  small  pond  from  one 
window,  and  of  the  broad  lawn  from  the  other.  The 
table  was  occupied  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing, 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benton  alone.  These  two,  however, 
were  not  the  only  members  of  the  Benton  family.  There 
were,  besides,  John,  Allie,  and  Freddie  —  May  and  Eva. 

Freddie,  the  youngest  boy,  was  a  smart  lad  of  eleven ; 
Allie,  thirteen,  though  rather  lazy,  was,  nevertheless,  the 


THE  ADVERTISEMENT.  3 

pet  at  home  and  the  oracle  among  the  boys  of  the  neigh- 
borhood ;  John,  the  eldest,  twenty  years  of  age,  was  a 
shrewd  young  fellow  and,  in  some  respects,  the  head 
of  the  household  —  to  whom  the  father  intrusted  many 
responsibilities.  John  and  Freddie,  strange  to  say,  were 
boon  companions.  Of  the  daughters,  Eva  was  the 
youngest,  being  scarcely  yet  seven,  while  May  was 
fifteen,  and  a  great  favorite  among  the  young  fellows  of 
her  acquaintance. 

Such  were  the  names  and  ages  of  the  Benton  children. 
Let  us  look  at  some  of  their  personalities : 

John  was  a  capital  fellow  —  he  was  just  entering  col- 
lege, and  had,  so  far,  proved  himself  first  in  every  study 
which  he  had  undertaken;  he  was  particularly  partial 
to  the  sciences.  Allie,  though  the  home  child,  seemed 
characteristically  lazy.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  in 
his  workshop,  having  fitted  up  a  fine  one  in  the  rear  part 
of  his  father's  large  barn.  Here  he  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  day,  as  John  said,  "foolin'  away  his  time 
buildin'  'Jack-houses,'"  or  drawing  imitations  of  what 
apparently  seemed  to  John  some  "house  that  Jack 
built."  Freddie  and  John  were  the  best  of  friends  and 
told  each  other  all  their  secrets.  When  John  was  away 
Freddie  occupied  his  time  in  taking  long  tramps,  with 
his  gun  for  his  companion  and  a  pocket  full  of  fish 
hooks  and  lines ;  the  woods  and  fields  were  full  of  birds, 
the  streams  of  fishes,  —  and  there  was  abundance  of  bait 
under  the  boards  and  stones  which  lined  the  water's 
edge.  Yet  he  was  full  of  fun,  too ;  always  around  when 
there  were  any  "  good  times  "  going  on.  So  it  came  to 
be  almost  a  saying,  with  the  whole  family,  that  where- 
ever  you  saw  Freddie  you  "never  knew  where  to  find 
him  next."  "  There  never  was  a  better  brother  in  this 


4  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

world  !  "  May  said,  and  "  May  ought  to  know ! "  so  Eva 
thought.  Now  Eva,  who  stayed  home  most  of  the  time, 
did  nothing  and  almost  thought  nothing  without  first 
consulting  her  oracle,  May.  May  was,  naturally,  chief 
head  of  the  younger  portion  of  the  family.  Her  nature 
was  warm,  but  impulsive,  quick,  and  authoritative.  She 
helped  her  mother  considerably  in  the  care  of  the  house- 
hold, in  spite  of  her  age ;  and  this,  of  itself,  gave  her  the 
conceit  to  be  belle  of  the  surrounding  neighborhood. 

These  were  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benton,  and 
a  "happier,  merrier,  better-natured  and  upright  set  o' 
youngsters  there  never  was."  This  was  the  verdict  of 
Mary,  the  cook,  who  had  lived  with  the  family  some 
twenty  odd  years,  and,  therefore,  felt  herself  capable  of 
judging. 

Mary  was  a  large,  fat,  and  jolly  servant-maid  —  nearly 
forty  years  of  age,  and  "  perfectly  devoted  to  the  family." 

We  can  better  understand,  now,  why  it  was  Mr.  Ben- 
ton,  after  seeing  the  paragraph  referred  to  in  the  paper, 
looked  over  to  his  wife  and  nodded  his  head  so  furiously, 
winked  so  violently,  and,  clearing  his  throat,  h'm-m-m-ed 
and  oh-oh-ed  with  such  apparent  satisfaction.  Did  he 
anticipate  a  surprise  to  anybody  or  any  number  of 
bodies  ?  We  shall  see  later  on. 

Mr.  Benton  himself  was  a  stout,  thick-set,  middle-aged 
gentleman,  with  gray  hair,  and  small,  but  pleasant  look- 
ing, gray  eyes.  Though  on  occasions  he  betrayed  a 
rather  nervous  temperament,  yet,  generally,  he  was  of  a 
very  placid  disposition  and  a  characteristic,  sagacious 
business  manager.  Mrs.  Benton,  his  wife,  was  tall,  and 
decidedly  nervous,  both  in  manner  and  disposition,  es- 
pecially if  in  the  least  irritated ;  though  a  very  efficient 
housekeeper. 


THE  ADVERTISEMENT.  5 

On  the  present  occasion,  after  Mrs.  Benton  had  not 
frowned,  when  Mr.  Benton's  eyes  met  hers  ;  and  when 
the  latter  h'm-m-ed  at  the  table-cloth,  to  his  own  apparent 
satisfaction  ;  both  arose  and  retired  to  the  library,  where 
they  remained  together  for  a  few  moments,  in  earnest 
conversation ;  at  the  end  of  that  time  they  departed ; 
the  one,  going  to  the  closet,  donned  a  travelling  duster, 
and,  taking  his  umbrella  in  his  hand,  started  for  the 
door,  simply  saying,  "  Well,  my  dear,  then  I  may  not  be 
home  to  dinner,"  —  he  left  the  house  and  walked  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  the  railroad  station.  Mrs.  Benton 
returned  immediately  to  her  work  of  arranging  the  dishes, 
and,  but  for  an  occasional  "  humph,"  or  a  "  well,  I  sup- 
pose so,"  no  one  could  have  imagined  the  weighty  prob- 
lems which  she  was  turning  over  in  her  mind. 

In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Benton  had  reached  the  railroad 
station  and  stood,  with  others  on  the  platform,  awaiting 
the  train.  This  soon  arrived,  with  a  whiz  and  a  crash 
that  was  enough  to  fairly  make  one  deaf,  and  off  jumped 
the  conductor,  shouting  out,  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 

"  Express  for  Boston !  This  train  does  not  stop  again 
until  it  reaches  Boston." 

Some  of  the  passengers  bustled  out  into  the  station  to 
wait  for  the  accommodation  which  would  leave  them  at 
some  way-station,  but  the  most  of  them,  among  whom 
was  Mr.  Benton,  were  on  their  way  to  the  great  city ;  so 
the  seats  were  quickly  all  filled,  and  the  train  soon  in 
motion  again. 

Mr.  Benton  was  a  little  nervous,  in  spite  of  himself 
and  his  efforts  to  look  and  appear  in  his  usual  calm  and 
collected  manner.  He  had  found  a  comfortable  seat, 
near  the  window,  and  now  took  out  his  paper,  which  he 
had  brought  with  him,  and  carefully  adjusting  his  eye- 


6  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR, 

glasses,  he  began  to  turn  the  paper  in  every  direction 
but  the  right  one, — apparently  with  the  desire  to  rr;ul 
it,  and  to  read  something  special  in  it,  for  which  he 
seemed  to  be  eagerly  searching. 

After  a  great  deal  of  trouble  the  right  place  was  at 
last  found  and  Mr.  Benton  began  to  read : 

"  Off  for  Labrador.  The  fast  schooner  North  Star, 
etc.,  — "  "  Let  me  see,  again !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton 
to  himself:  "will  leave  Rowe's  Wharf — ,  July  19th; 
etc.  Write  for  particulars  to,  or  call  on,  R.  U.  Ready, 
17  Nolaiid  Wharf,  Boston,  Mass." 

After  studying  the  paragraph  for  some  fifteen  minutes, 
Mr.  Benton  took  a  pencil  from  his  pocket,  made  a  memo- 
randum upon  the  margin  of  his  paper,  folded  it  so  that 
the  writing  should  appear  upon  the  outside  edge,  and, 
replacing  the  pencil,  tucked  the  paper  into  the  upper 
left-hand  pocket  of  his  duster,  with  a  "  h'm-m-m-m ! " 
that  caused  his  next  neighbor  fairly  to  jump,  and  every- 
body in  the  car,  close  enough  to  hear  it,  to  look  up  in 
surprise. 

The  train  was  quite  full.  The  air  was  close  and 
stifling.  Most  of  the  gentlemen  sat,  with  their  windows 
open,  reading,  eating  oranges  or  bananas,  or  trying  to 
nap  away  the  time  with  their  caps  over  their  eyes,  and 
their  heads  and  bodies  in  every  conceivable  position.  — 
Mr.  Benton  sat  up  very  straight,  and  then  turned  and 
gazed  for  a  moment  down  the  car ;  then  he  turned  back 
and,  settling  himself  into  as  comfortable  an  attitude  as 
he  could,  tried  to  nap  like  the  others.  But  it  was  no 
use !  To-day,  for  a  wonder,  he  had  really  too  much  on 
his  mind  to  sleep  or  do  anything  but  wait  for  the  coming 
and  going  of  the  tedious  minutes  —  until  he  should  get 
the  irritating  business  over  with,  satisfactorily. 


THE  ADVERTISEMENT.  7 

At  last  the  car  door  opened  and  the  conductor  came  in 
for  the  tickets ;  five  minutes  afterwards  it  opened  again, 
and  the  brakeman  shouted  out,  with  a  voice  that  wakened 
everybody  in  the  ca,r  : 

"  Boston,  Boston !    All  out ! " 

Everybody  started  up  with  a  grand  rush  for  the  door, 
and,  in  a  minute  more,  the  car  had  stopped  at  the  depot, 
and  all  were  on  the  move  for  their  various  destinations. 
Mr.  Benton  fairly  steamed  towards  a  horse  car,  which  he 
saw  in  the  distance  and  which  had  a  long,  green  stripe 
upon  it,  and  the  sign  "  Atlantic  Avenue  "  painted  upon  a 
white  board  above  it.  After  considerable  effort  he  suc- 
ceeded in  attracting  the  driver's  attention,  who  stopped 
the  car.  Mr.  Benton  got  on,  and  was  soon  seated  — 
mopping  his  face  with  a  huge  bandana,  while  being 
carried  swiftly  towards  "  17  Noland  Wharf." 

After  a  few  moments  the  car  stopped,  before  a  long, 
low  building,  in  which  were  a  large  crowd  of  men  —  all 
busily  engaged  in  eating,  either  a  late  breakfast  or  an 
early  dinner,  —  and  Mr.  Benton  got  off.  Then  he  fol- 
lowed the  sidewalk  for  a  few  rods  until  he  came  to  a 
high,  triangular-shaped  brick  building,  which  had  a  side 
entrance  near  the  main  street.  Here  he  entered  and 
ascended  a  flight  of  rickety,  wooden  steps,  in  a  dark, 
narrow  passage-way,  to  the  second  story.  Then  he 
turned  into  a  very  dirty,  dingy  entry,  which  he  trav- 
ersed, and  knocked  at  a  door,  half  wood  and  half  glass, 
at  its  farther  end. 

In  good  keeping  with  all  this  dirt  and  dinginess  was 
the  apparition  which  responded  to  the  knock,  almost 
immediately,  from  a  regular  spider's  nest  of  a  little  room 
which  was  not  a  bit  cleaner  than  its  surroundings. 

When  he  saw  Mr.  Benton  he  opened  his  eyes  very 


8  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

wide,  and  stared  at  him  for  about  a  minute  without  speak- 
ing ;  then  he  rubbed  his  eyes  and  stared  again.  —  After 
much  maneuvering  he  reached  out  a  short  arm,  with  a 
very  full  but  flabby  hand,  at  its  extremity  and  said  : 

"  Oh !  how  do  you  do  ?  " 

"Very  well,  thank  you,"  said  Mr.  Benton.  "Is  this 
Mr.  Ready  ?  " 

"  Oh !  yes !  Walk  right  in ! "  said  the  little  man. 
"  Take  a  cheer ! " 

"  My  name,  sir,  is  Benton,  and  I  came  to  see  you  about 
your  advertisement  in  the  Boston  paper  this  morning." 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  for  it  was  indeed  he, 
"  walk  right  in  and  take  a  seat." 

Mr.  Benton  walked  in,  and  while  so  doing  he  had  a 
chance  to  look  at  Mr.  Ready  a  little  closer,  and  see  what 
kind  of  a  man  he  was. 

He  was  short,  rather  fat,  and  of  a  sort  of  leathery 
texture  and  appearance.  He  had  frowsy,  grayish  hair, 
and  scanty  whiskers  on  his  face.  He  appeared  to  be 
about  forty  years  old,  but  he  might  have  been  sixty.  He 
was  dressed  in  black,  but  his  clothes  were  so  soiled  that 
there  was  a  decided  gray  appearance  to  the  suit. 

"  Oh ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  after  he  had  inspected  the 
visitor  from  head  to  foot,  much  as  one  examines  a  tree. 
"  Take  a  cheer,  do !  Plenty  of  'em  here,  if  you  can  only 
find  a  whole  one." 

As  he  said  this,  Mr.  Ready  beamed  all  over  his  coun- 
tenance and  passed  a  rickety  chair  for  Mr.  Benton  to  sit 
upon.  —  The  latter,  seeing  a  wooden  settee  in  the  rear  of 
the  room,  next  to  the  wall,  and  thinking  it  looked  safer 
than  the  chair  presented,  went  to  it  and  sat  down. 

"  Yes,  very  fine  day,"  said  Mr.  Benton  as  he  removed 
his  hat. 


THE  ADVERTISEMENT.  9 

"  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Keady.  "  So  you  saw  the  paper,  did 
you  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  "and  that  is  what  I  came  to 
inquire  about.  Now  give  me  all  the  information  about 
the  place  that  you  can,  for  I  have  three  sons,  two  of 
whom,  if  not  all,  I  am  thinking  of  sending  away  for  a 
good  time  this  summer,  if  everything  appears  favorable. 
Mind,  I  say,  only  if  everything  appears  favorable."  And 
Mr.  Benton  trotted  his  knee  most  violently. 

"  Oh,  yes  ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  very  eagerly,  nodding  his 
head  much  as  if  he  were  angling  and  had  caught  sight  of 
a  very  big  trout  which  he  had  determined  should  not 
escape  him.  "  You  never  was  there  yourself  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  said  Mr.  Benton  ;  "  I  know  nothing  about 
the  place.  Your  circular  this  morning  set  me  thinking 
that  perhaps  the  boys  might  like  to  go !  ah  —  a  —  if  every- 
thing appeared  favorable,  you  know;"  and  Mr.  v  Benton 
nodded  his  head,  and  trotted  his  knee  again,  as  if  he 
also  were  angling,  but  with  a  very  different  sort  of  a 
tackle,  however.  "You've  been  there  before,  I  sup- 
pose ?  " 

During  this  conversation  Mr.  Ready  had  subsided  into 
a  large  office  chair,  and  was  sitting  in  a  pensive  attitude, 
with  his  hands  placed  flat  to  each  other  resting  on  his 
closed  knees;  but  upon  being  addressed,  he  suddenly 
brightened  up,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  yes !  seven  or  eight  times.  I  lived  down  there 
for  three  years  ! " 

"  Did  you,  indeed  ?  Well,  you  must  know  the  place 
pretty  well,  then." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  That  was  about  1870,  and  since  that  time 
I've  been  '  down  along,'  as  they  call  it,"  —  here  Mr.  Ready 
chuckled,  and  shut  up  his  eyes  to  laugh  —  "  nearly  every 


10  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

year,  and  two  or  three  parties  have  been  down  with  me 
almost  every  time.  I  take  a  little  party  with  me  most 
always,  you  know,  —  and  they  all  enjoy  it,  and  want  to 
go  again.  You  see  it  is  a  new  region  for  them,  and  it  is 
something  that  they  have  never  seen  before,  and  they 
enjoy  it;  they  have  a  good  time,  and  are  always  glad 
they  went." 

As  Mr.  Ready  said  this  he  rubbed  his  hands,  smiled 
with  his  eyes  shut  again,  and,  hitching  his  chair  up  until 
he  was  quite  near  Mr.  Benton,  he  reached  forward,  and 
in  a  most  mysterious  manner  tapped  Mr.  Benton's  arm 
and  said : 

"  Now,  see  here,  sir !  You  send  your  boys  along  with 
me,  and  —  and  —  "  here  Mr.  Ready  looked  all  about  him, 
apparently  to  see  if  anybody  else  was  listening,  "and 
you  go  with  'um ! "  As  he  said  this  he  gave  Mr.  Ben- 
ton's  arm  a  severe  pinch,  and  retreated  to  an  upright 
attitude  with  as  much  silent  energy  as  if  he  had  solved 
a  most  difficult  problem  and  as  if  to  say,  "  well,  what  do 
you  think  of  that .' " 

Mr.  Benton  did  not  resent  the  good-natured  familiarity 
and  laughed,  as  did  Mr.  Ready  also. 

"  Oh,  I'm  too  busy,  /  can't  go ! " 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"Wh?  h'm  — h'm!  why,  I'd  like  to,  really!  I'd  like 
to !  What  do  you  do  there  ?  " 

"Do?"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "do?  why  everything,  every- 
thing, nothing !  Fish  for  trout,  and  shoot  birds.  Plenty 
fish !  plenty  birds.  Do  ?  we  eat,  drink,  and  sleep ;  smoke 
and  enjoy  life,  as  we  sail,  sail,  sail !  Or  lay  to,  and 
crowd  around  the  galley  stove  in  rain  or  fog  and  tell 
stories.  Do  ?  why  we  do  anything  or  nothing,  —  ac- 
cordin' ! " 


THE  ADVERTISEMENT.  11 

As  Mr.  Ready  said  this  he  looked  all  around  him  again, 
and  gesticulated  with  his  left  hand  (with  the  fingers 
spread  somewhat  apart)  in  the  air,  much  like  a  sailor 
trying  to  see  which  way  the  wind  blows  by  holding  that 
member  up  against  the  breeze ;  so  that  he  really  looked 
quite  enthusiastic,  in  spite  of  the  little  dark  stairway, 
the  dingy  passage  and  door,  and  the  small,  dirty  room. 

The  fish  had  dared  to  sniff  at  the  bait ;  he  had  turned 
to  smell  of  it ;  it  had  smelled  nice,  and  he  had  nibbled, 

—  more,  had  swallowed  the  bait,  hook  and  all — and  was 
now  at  the  end  of  the  line  —  dangling ! 

"  When  do  you  start  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Benton. 

"  On  or  about  July  19th.  The  vessel  will  probably  be 
ready  to  sail  on  that  very  day,"  replied  Mr.  Eeady. 

"  Where  do  you  start  from  ?  " 

"  From  Rowe's  Wharf,  at  high  tide,  in  the  afternoon." 

"  What  are  your  terms  ?  " 

At  the  mention  of  the  word  terms,  though  outwardly 
Mr.  Ready  was  calm  enough,  he  felt  much  as  a  horse  or 
mule  who  suddenly  pricks  up  both  ears  while  eyeing  in- 
tently some  object  before  him.  Then  he 'approached  Mr. 
Benton  very  closely,  and  almost  whispered,  so  low  was 
his  voice,  as  if  he  were  really  afraid  to  tell  it  out  loud : 
"  One  hundred  and  fifty  for  one,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
for  two,  and  fifty  more  for  the  small  boy,  and,"  —  here 
he  looked  up,  and  all  around  him  cautiously  for  a  moment 

—  then,  giving  Mr.  Benton  a  slight  dig  in  the  arm  with 
his  forefinger,  aloud,  "give  me  what  you  like  for  your- 
self ! » 

At  the  mention  of  the  latter  portion  of  the  terms  Mr. 
Benton  smiled,  Mr.  Ready  fairly  laughed,  and  both  nod- 
ded good-humoredly  at  each  other  for  several  seconds, 
and  Mr.  Benton  arose  to  go. 


12  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Oh,  ah ! "  said  Mr.  Ready.  "  This  way,  a  moment. 
You  might  like  to  see  how  we  go  ! " 

At  this  both  went  to  the  farther  end  of  the  room,  and 
Mr.  Ready  took  down  a  long  rolled  up  chart,  which  he 
opened,  and  said : 

"  Ah,  yes  !  Here  it  is  !  We  start  from  Boston,  so  " 
(pointing  with  his  finger  to  the  place,  and  following 
along  as  he  spoke) ;  "  touch  at  Halifax,  then  to  Canso,  and 
pass  through  the  Gut,  as  it  is  called,  stopping  at  Port 
Mulgrave  in  the  center  of  the  Gut  on  the  left,  where 
letters  can  be  received  and  sent,  and  so  on  to  Magdalen 
Islands,  where  we  will  stop  a  day  or  two ;  pass  Bird 
Rock,  when  we  will  lay  to,  and  shoot  a  few  gannets; 
then  strike  the  Labrador  coast,  along  which  we  will  go, 
stopping  here  and  there  to  shoot  birds  and  to  fish,  till 
we  get  ready  to  start  for  home.  We  shall  be  gone  for 
about  six  or  eight  weeks,  altogether.  —  Are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  but  write  to  me  if  you  think 
of  anything  more ;  here  is  my  address.  Good  day." 

"  Oh,  certainly !  Good  day  !  I'll  write."  And  the 
door  closed.  Mr.  Benton  to  hurry  to  catch  the  train  for 
home,  and  Mr.  Ready  to  light  his  pipe  and  reflect. 


OFF  FOR   LABRADOR.  13 


CHAPTER  II. 

OFF    FOR   LABRADOR. 

't 

,  isn't  this  perfectly  splendid  ?  " 
"  It's  just  glorious  ! " 

"  Doesn't  she  sail  like  a  duck  out  of  water ! " 

"  Who,  what,  sails  like  a  duck  out  of  water  ?  "  queried 
a  tall,  lank,  but  good-humored-looking  individual,  who, 
with  his  hands  in  his  overcoat  pockets,  seemed  trying  to 
screw  himself  into  the  smallest  possible  compass,  as  if 
half-frozen,  as  he  walked  up  to  a  group  of  three  boys 
who  had  uttered  the  above  exclamations.  Before  any  of 
them  could  reply,  a  slightly  fleshy  gentleman,  of  middle 
age,  called  out,  rather  unnautically : 

"  Oh,  Allie,  —  my  boy  !  What  did  you  tell  me  that 
bird  was  we  just  now  passed  on  the  lew  of  the  vessel." 

"  That  was  a  petrel,  father ! "  replied  Allie  Benton, 
for  it  was  he. 

"Allie  is  very  fond  of  birds,  Mr.  Taylor.  He  knows 
the  name  of  nearly  every  one  that  he  sees." 

"  Indeed ! "  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  the  tall,  lank  individ- 
ual referred  to,  and  who  was,  with  the  rest,  "Off  for 
Labrador,"  in  the  double  capacity  of  tutor  and  companion 
for  Mr.  Benton's  boys. 

"  Yes,  sir !  he  once  shot  seven  kinds,  of  an  afternoon, 
and  could  tell  the  names  of  all  of  them,  sir;  of  all  of 
them.  Let  me  see,  Allie,  we  have  seen  gulls,  hawks,  and 
—  and  —  a  blue-leg." 

"Yellow-leg,  father." 


14  WRECKED    ON  LA  BRA  LOR. 

"  Yellow-leg  ?  oh,  yes  !    Yellow-leg." 

"  We  are  getting  very  scientific,  Mr.  Taylor,  very  scien- 
tific; we  mean  to  know  something  about  these  things, 
one  of  these  days." 

Just  at  this  point  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by 
Freddie,  who  sang  out,  in  a  loud,  clear  voice : 

"Oh,  father!  father!  look  quick,  there's  a  whale, — 
there  she  is ;  there  she  blows ;  see  —  see  —  quick ;  do 
you  see  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes  !  where  did  you  say  ?  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ben- 
ton,  as  he  hastily  returned  and  began  scanning  the  water 
in  every  direction  but  the  right  one.  "  H'm,  yes  ! " 

"  There  she  blows,  again ;  look,  quick,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  bow,  now,"  said  Fred. 

"Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Beuton,  turning  in  the  reverse 
direction,  and  of  course  again  away  from  the  object  in 
question.  At  this  moment  the  whale  came  so  near  the 
vessel  that  the  noise  of  its  spouting  was  distinctly  audible 
to  every  one  on  deck,  and,  directed  by  the  sound,  Mr. 
Benton  turned  in  the  right  direction  in  time  to  see  the 
falling  water  as  the  huge  animal's  back  disappeared  be- 
neath the  waves.  —  "  There  it  is,  in  very  truth,  my  boys, 
and  I  hope  that  it  will  not  come  any  nearer  to  us." 

"  Why  not,  father ! "  exclaimed  Freddie.  "  Surely  it 
would  do  no  hurt  to  such  a  large  vessel  as  ours." 

"  And,  father,"  chimed  in  Allie,  "  I  think  it  would  be 
real  fun,  if  he  would  come  up  right  close  to  the  ship  and 
spout,  then  we  could  see  him,  and  watch  him." 

Here  the  voice  of  John  broke  in  upon  the  party,  who 
were  gathered  just  in  front  of  the  foremast  of  the  vessel. 

"  I  see  five  spouting  at  once !  Three  on  the  port  and 
two  on  the  larboard  side." 

"Why,  John!"  exclaimed   Mr.  Taylor;    "taking  the 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  15 

liberty  of  correcting  you,  the  port  and  larboard  side  are 
the  same.  You  mean  the  starboard  and  port." 

By  this  time  the  whales  had  either  disappeared  en- 
tirely or  were  so  far  away  in  the  distance  as  to  be  scarcely 
perceptible.  Freddie  had  disappeared  too.  Mr.  Benton 
looked  all  around  for  him,  and  not  seeing  him  anywhere 
called  him  loudly  by  name.  A  very  faint  sound  proceeded, 
seemingly,  from  the  skies,  and  all  hands  looking  upward 
saw  Freddie,  already  nearly  half-way  up  the  rigging. 

"  Here  I  am !  who  called  me  ?  "  replied  the  voice. 

"Come  down  here,  at  once!"  shouted  Mr.  Benton. 
"  You  are  in  a  very  dangerous  position." 

Mr.  Benton  then  gazed  very  anxiously  at  his  son  to 
see  him  descend ;  while  the  other  boys  looked  on  in  ad- 
miration and  envy  to  see  him  so  far  above  them,  and  in 
a  position  so  peculiar,  —  so  safe  to  a  seaman. 

Freddie  did  not  wish  to  disobey  his  father,  so  he  looked 
with  longing,  impatient  eyes  at  the  foretop,  to  which 
position  he  aspired,  and  with  an  "oh,  dear!"  began  to 
descend.  He  reached  the  deck  in  safety,  though  severely 
rebuked  both  by  his  father  and  Mr.  Taylor  for  attempt- 
ing so  rash  a  feat  so  soon  after  leaving  home.  Strangely 
he  seemed  to  care  less  for  the  rebuke,  however,  than  the 
applauding  eyes  of  his  brothers,  who,  as  yet,  had  either 
not  dared  or  not  cared  to  attempt  the  climb. 

All  the  boys  now  went  to  the  bow  of  the  schooner  to 
watch  the  water  as  it  dashed  from  the  prow  of  the  ves- 
sel; and  the  rainbows  formed  by  the  sun,  as  it  shone 
through  the  sparkling  foam,  while  Mr.  Benton  and  Mr. 
Taylor  retired  to  their  easy  steamer  chairs  just  behind 
the  vessel's  mainmast  and  at  the  rear  of  the  cabin. 

"  By  the  way,  sir !  how  happened  you  to  attempt  this 
voyage  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Taylor,  when  once  comfortably  seated. 


1H  IV RECK  ED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Well,  sir !  "  responded  Mr.  Benton,  "  I  hardly  know 
myself.  I  saw  Mr.  Ready's  advertisement,  and  made,  a 
special  visit  to  his  office,  and  came  away  so  pleased  with 
his  representations,  and  with  Mr.  Ready  himself,  that  I 
altered  my  plans,  decided  to  go  myself,  got  the  boys 
ready,  and  here  we  are,  sir ! " 

"  You  certainly  displayed  great  energy  in  }rour  prepa- 
rations." 

"Well,  the  thing  seemed  feasible,  and  I  seldom  do 
things  by  halves,  sir !  Mr.  Taylor,  you  will  observe  that 
I  seldom  do  things  by  halves  !  " 

As  if  to  illustrate  what  he  had  said,  the  vessel  gave  a 
tremendous  lurch  at  that  very  moment,  and  Mr.  Benton, 
arm-chair  and  all,  fell  sideways  with  a  crash,  on  deck, 
while  a  cloud  of  spray  dashed  over  the  vessel,  as  if  to 
wash  him  overboard  through  the  scuppers. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  laugh  at 
anybody  else's  misfortune,  but  he  inwardly  smiled  at 
the  simile  and  its  illustration  as  he  helped  Mr.  Benton 
to  his  feet,  and  to  shake  the  water  from  his  clothes. 

A  few  moments  served  to  set  matters  right,  however. 
Mr.  Benton  changed  his  coat  and  hat,  after  which  the 
chair  was  wiped  with  a  towel,  and  things  were  soon  in 
order  again.  Mr.  Benton  moved  his  chair  nearer  to  the 
mainmast  that  he  might  lay  hold  of  one  of  the  bitts  of 
the  pin-rail,  in  case  of  another  encounter  with  the  rolling 
waves,  and  for  a  time  both  parties  remained  silent.  At 
length  Mr.  Taylor  broke  the  silence. 

"  Let  me  see ! "  he  said,  "  I  believe  we  have  as  yet 
hardly  ascertained  who  one's  companions  are,  on  the 
trip ;  supposing,  sir,  you  lend  me  your  pencil  for  a 
moment,  and  I  will  put  their  names  down  upon  this 
envelope,  so  that  we  may  see  just  who  we  have." 


OFF  FOR   LABRADOR.  17 

"  Certainly,  most  certainly,  here  it  is  !  " 

"  Thank  you,  sir !  Now  let  me  see.  —  Here  are  Mr. 
Benton  and  his  three  sons,  John,  Allie,  and  Freddie ; 
Mr.  Keady,  and  his  son,  Jack ;  Mr.  Murphy,  Mr. 
Josephs,  who  is  also  a  professor  in  a  college ;  and  my- 
self. Let  me  see,  is  this  all  ?  Ah,  no ;  I  have  forgotten 
one  other  gentleman  whose  name  I  have  not  yet  ascer- 
tained. Besides  these  there  are  the  cook  Max,  the  cap- 
tain and  crew.  This  makes  sixteen  in  all." 

"  Ah,  indeed  ! "  said  Mr.  Benton ;  "  I  think  it  a  very 
pleasant  party." 

"  It  certainly  seems  so,  thus  far." 

"  Yes  !  I  believe  that  we  are  all  well  pleased  that  our 
first  day  is  drawing  to  so  satisfactory  a  close." 

"Indeed,  sir!  we  may  well  congratulate  ourselves 
upon  the  fact." 

"  Let  me  see !  we  have  made  some  fifty  miles  since  we 
started  this  morning,  I  suppose." 

"It  cannot  be  far  from  that.  The  breeze  has  been 
steady,  and  we  are  now  and  have  been  going  at  about  the 
rate  of  six  knots  an  hour.  We  left  the  city  at  ten  o'clock, 
and  it  is  now  six." 

"  Is  it,  indeed !  I  was  not  aware  that  it  was  really  so 
late." 

"As  it  is  now  Wednesday,  I  suppose  that  we  shall 
reach  Halifax  by  Sunday  at  this  rate." 

"How  far  is  Halifax?" 

"Well,  the  captain  tells  us  that  it  is  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles." 

"  We  can  then  pass  a  quiet  Sunday  on  shore,"  said  Mr. 
Benton. 

"  Yes  indeed,  sir,  but  are  we  not  getting  ahead  rather 
fast  ?  " 


18  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"Very  true  !  but  tell  me,  Mr.  Taylor,  what  is  that  small 
hen-coop  of  a  house,  just  behind  the  foremast  there  ?  " 

"  That  is  what  we  call  the  galley,  sir." 

"The  galley?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  It  is  the  cook-house,  and  that  is  the  cook, 
Max,  just  going  into  it  with  a  bucket  of  water  in  his 
hand.  —  A  very  accommodating  fellow  he  seems  to  be. 
Mr.  Ready  tells  me  that  he  has  been  with  him,  —  this 
makes  the  third  time." 

"  We  hope  so,  certainly ;  and  will  soon  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  test  his  good  qualities,  as  it  is  nearly  supper 
time." 

At  this  moment  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by 
Mr.  Ready  himself,  who  was  seen  balancing  himself,  as 
the  vessel  rolled  gently  about  from  side  to  side,  as  he 
attempted  to  walk  along  the  deck  to  where  Mr.  Benton 
and  Mr.  Taylor  were  stationed.  He  soon  reached  and 
addressed  them : 

"  Which  would  you  gentlemen  prefer :  to  have  your 
Slipper  in  the  cabin,  on  the  table,  or  to  have  it  served, 
sailor-fashion,  here  in  the  air  on  deck?  You  can  take 
your  stools  to  the  gang-way,  and  place  your  dishes  on  the 
roof  of  the  cabin  and  eat  there  very  comfortably  and 
very  pleasantly ;  or  you  can  have  it  served  on  the  table 
inside  the  galley, — though  you  might  find  it  rather 
close  there,  that  is  all." 

"Ah;  just  what  suits  you  will  suit  us,  Mr.  Ready," 
said  Mr.  Benton.  "  Your  suggestion  is  an  excellent  one, 
sir ;  and  we  will  take  our  stools  and  eat  from  the  deck  ; 
I,  for  one,  do  not  feel  like  going  into  the  cabin  while  it 
is  so  pleasant  out  here,  and  much  less  like  eating  there." 

At  that  moment  a  clear,  ringing  voice  was  heard  all 
over  the  deck : 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  1 

"  Supper,  gentlemens !  " 

The  words  were  no  more  than  uttered  than  a  loud 
tramping  and  hustling  were  heard  as  the  three  boys  and 
as  many  grown  men,  —  little  better  than  boys,  in  fact,  — 
came  hurrying  towards  the  galley  door  :  where  the  good- 
natured  Max  stood,  smiling  good-humoredly  as  he  passed 
up  the  plates  of  a  steaming  hot  liquid  that  quickly  pene- 
trated the  air  with  its  fragrance,  and  announced  itself  as 
genuine  bean  soup. 

"  Beady  for  your  supper,  gentlemens  ?  " 

There  was  no  need  of  any  reply.  The  cook  stood  at 
the  galley  door,  with  a  smile  on  his  round,  good-natured 
face,  and  a  huge  ladle  in  one  hand  while  he  passed  out 
plates  of  steaming  soup  or  piles  of  pilot  biscuits  with  the 
other. 

"  Will  any  of  you  gentlemens  have  anything  more  ?  " 
he  was  continually  asking. 

After  the  soup  came  plates  of  biscuits  and  butter,  and 
canned  corned  beef  cut  into  tempting  slices :  with  each 
of  which  was  a  cup  of  most  delicious  coffee,  just  off  the 
fire  and  smoking  hot. 

Max  fairly  outdid  himself.  And  even  Mr.  Benton, 
who  was  used  to  the  very  best  of  food,  had  no  cause  to 
complain  of  either  quantity  or  qiiality. 

After  all  had  eaten,  Max  gathered  the  dishes  together 
and  began  to  wash  them,  while  each  wandered  about  deck 
as  best  suited  him. 

Mr.  Benton  and  Mr.  Taylor  were  soon  again  seated  in 
their  chairs,  the  former  with  a  huge  lap  robe  thrown 
over  his  knees,  and  the  latter,  with  his  legs  crossed, 
indulging  in  what  he  pleasantly  termed:  "the  comfort- 
able folly  of  a  paper  cigar." 

Mr.  Murphy  was  seated  on  the  top  of  the  forecastle, 


20  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

industriously  puffing  away  at  a  huge  meerschaum  pipe, 
and  sending  volumes  of  blue  smoke  into  the  face  of 
the  captain,  whose  head  was  just  seen  above  the  door 
with  a  short,  dirty  clay  pipe  in  his  mouth.  The  two 
seemed  to  be  in  very  earnest  conversation,  and,  as  fre- 
quent looks  from  both  were  directed  towards  the  sky  and 
on  all  sides  of  the  ship,  one  could  very  easily  imagine 
that  they  were  talking  over  the  signs  of  the  weather,  as 
in  fact  they  really  were. 

"  Fair  wind  to-night,  captain ! " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose ! " 

"  Shall  you  keep  her  on  this  tack  all  night  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose ! " 

"  Do  you  take  your  trick  at  the  wheel  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  I  suppose  ! " 

At  this  moment  a  merry,  childish  voice  whispered : 

"  Did  you  ever  get  drunk  ?     Yes,  I  suppose." 

It  was  Allie's  voice,  and  was  not  intended  for  any- 
body's ears  but  his  brothers ;  but  though  uttered  so  low 
both  the  captain  and  Mr.  Murphy  heard  it.  The  latter 
could  not  help  smiling.  The  former  turned  his  head, 
and  his  face  scowled  for  a  moment,  but  only  for  a  mo- 
ment, for  he  saw  who  it  was,  and  the  uselessness  of 
getting  out  of  temper  with  the  good-humored  though 
mischief-loving  boy,  as  he  took  his  pipe  from  his  mouth 
and  said,  as  he  disappeared  from  the  steps : 

"I'll  make  you  drunk,  if  I  catch  you,  you  young 
tommy  cod." 

With  darkness  came  a  strong  west  wind,  which  made 
the  North  Star  scud  through  the  water. 

"  How  fast  are  we  going  now,  captain  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Taylor,  of  the  former,  as  he  appeared  on  deck  on  his  way 
to  speak  to  the  man  at  the  wheel. 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  21 

"Oh,  about  seven  knots,"  replied  the  captain.  "If 
the  wind  holds  out  we'll  be  a  good  ways  from  Boston  by 
morning." 

"  That's  good,"  answered  Mr.  Taylor,  as  he  was  disap- 
pearing down  the  companion-way,  "the  farther  the 
better." 

When  he  reached  the  cabin  he  found  Mr.  Benton  and 
the  other  gentlemen  already  hard  at  work  arranging 
things  for  the  night. 

The  cabin  of  the  North  Star  was  a  compactly  arranged 
little  room,  and  very  comfortable,  withal.  It  was  rather 
small  for  eight  persons,  though  fully  as  large  as  the  size 
of  the  vessel  would  allow  —  being  about  ten  feet  square. 
The  bunks  or  berths  were  arranged  on  either  side,  while, 
on  the  right,  the  compartments  were  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  room  and  from  each  other  by  a  partition  and 
doors.  There  was  a  few  feet  of  space,  in  these  rooms, 
between  the  partitions  and  the  berths,  and,  as  they  had 
sliding-doors,  the  parties  could  shut  themselves  in  and 
feel  as  free  and  safe  as  if  in  a  real  ship's  cabin.  The 
berths  were  placed  one  above  the  other,  and  were  simple, 
wide,  low,  box-like  structures,  like  all  ships'  berths. 
There  was  a  small  closet,  with  washing  arrangements 
and  other  necessities,  just  at  the  left  of  the  companion- 
way,  in  an  upper  corner  of  which  was  a  box  containing 
the  compass  and  a  lamp  for  illuminating  the  face  of  the 
compass  by  night.  Out  of  this  closet  led  another  small, 
dark  cuddy,  where  the  vessel's  stores  —  not  provisions  — 
were  kept.  Just  at  the  right  of  the  companion-way,  and 
between  it  and  the  first  tier  of  bunks,  was  space  for  an- 
other storage  closet,  for  the  lighter  and  better  articles  of 
the  men's  luggage. 

Mr.  Taylor  found,  upon  entering  the  cabin,  that  each 


22  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

berth  had  a  neat  white  card,  with  the  name  of  the  person 
on  it  who  was  to  occupy  it.  The  first  berth  left,  upon 
entering,  was  marked  for  Mr.  Ready  and  his  son.  That 
below  was  assigned  to  the  gentleman  whose  name  he  had 
been  unable,  until  now,  to  ascertain.  The  name  on  the 
card  read,  "  Mr.  R.  T.  A.  Furness." 

On  the  same  side,  and  adjoining,  was  placed  Mr. 
Jacobs  and  Mr.  Murphy.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
cabin,  and  in  the  further  stateroom  was  Mr.  Benton 
above,  and  two  of  his  sons  beneath;  and  in  the  other 
stateroom  Mr.  Taylor  above  and  Mr.  Benton's  other  son 
below.  Thus  the  whole  party  were  happily  disposed  for 
the  trip. 

The  cabin  table  and  floor  were  both  covered  with  bags 
and  boxes,  bundles  and  parcels  of  all  descriptions.  Guns 
and  fishing  tackle  were  piled  in  the  corners  of  the  cabin, 
and  great-coats,  blankets,  and  pillows  lay  about  promis- 
cuously in  every  direction. 

In  one  corner,  a  long-handled  fish-net  reached  nearly 
to  the  ceiling,  while  in  the  opposite  one  a  big  pile  of 
boxes  was  nearly  covered  up  with  several  rubber  over- 
coats, and  on  the  floor  beside  them  several  pair  of  rubber 
boots  lay  heaped  together  regardless  of  owners. 

Under  the  table  was  a  big  seaman's  chest,  which  was 
the  joint  property  of  Mr.  Ready  and  his  son. 

Over  the  table,  just  above  each  end,  was  a  brass  lamp, 
such  as  sailors  use,  made  so  as  to  swing  to  the  motion  of 
the  vessel,  and  always  keep  in  an  upright  position. 

Between  the  lamps  was  a  curious,  old-fashioned  round- 
faced  clock,  the  wood-work  of  which  was  eight-sided, 
beneath  which  was  an  aneroid  barometer.  Between  this 
and  the  lamp  on  the  right-hand  side  was  a  thermometer, 
and  in  a  similar  position  to  the  left  a  small  almanac 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  23 

and  pilot  or  guide  book.  Above  all  these  was  a  neatly 
rolled  chart,  hung  in  a  pair  of  tape  loops ;  and  below 
this,  in  smaller  loops,  a  pair  of  dividers,  a  pencil,  and 
a  black  parallel  ruler  for  measuring  directions  upon  the 
chart. 

Just  above  the  table,  and  below  all  these  articles  upon 
the  wall,  was  a  small,  shallow  closet  or  locker,  running, 
with  double  doors,  the  whole  width  of  the  cabin.  In 
these  were  shelves,  loops,  and  braces  for  containing  all 
sorts  of  small  stores  and  articles  necessary  for  the  com- 
forts of  the  voyage,  —  such  as  medicines,  pens  and  ink, 
various  bottles  and  glasses,  small  jars  of  rare  and  deli- 
cate preserves  and  extracts  for  sickness,  with  a  large 
assortment  of  useful  little  articles  intended  for  emergen- 
cies, so  frequent  upon  a  trip  of  this  kind.  Mr.  Heady 
kept  the  key  to  these  lockers,  as  he  did  to  the  storage 
closet  next  to  the  companion-way ;  but  both  were  ready 
for  use  at  a  moment's  notice. 

Besides  the  articles  described  there  was  a  rocker  and  a 
number  of  small  wooden  stands. 

Thus  the  general  arrangement  of  the  interior  of  the 
cabin  of  the  North  Star  was  about  as  comfortable  as  it 
was  possible  to  make  it. 

It  showed,  evidently,  that  the  captain  was  a  thorough 
seaman,  and  had  things  about  as  well  provided  as  he 
could  make  them ;  while  the  additional  touches  of  Mr. 
Eeady  were  apparent  at  a  glance ;  and  we  could  easily 
see  that  everything  possible  had  been  prepared  for  the 
comfort  of  the  passengers ;  but  not  only  the  comfort  of 
the  passengers  seemed  provided  for,  but  their  luxury 
also ;  for,  besides  the  half  dozen  of  small  stools  was  a 
rocking-chair,  and  also  a  sort  of  a  ship's  easy-chair. 

Most   of  the   articles   described  were   apparent   at   a 


24  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

glance  to  one  coming  into  the  cabin  door,  and  Mr.  Taylor 
spoke  his  approval,  after  a  moment's  inspection,  to  Mr. 
Furness,  who  was  busily  engaged  in  preparing  his  bunk 
in  the  opposite  corner  of  the  cabin. 

"  Things  look  quite  snug  here,  Mr.  Furness,  don't  you 
think  so  ?  "  said  Mr.  Taylor. 

As  Mr.  •  Furness's  head  was  at  that  moment  some  three 
feet  inside  his  bunk,  and  a  small  portion  of  his  legs  alone 
visible,  his  hearing  apparatus  was  then  not  very  acute. 

A  moment  later,  the  remainder  of  his  body  and  his 
head  appearing,  the  question  was  repeated. 

"  Things  look  quite  snug  here,  Mr.  Furness,  don't  you 
think  so  ?  " 

"  Oh,  were  you  calling  my  name  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  asking  how  you  liked  the  appearance  of  our 
new  quarters." 

"Ah,  very  well,  indeed.  I  think  we  shall  soon  be 
quite  shipshape.  I  was  trying  to  arrange  my  bunk  and 
see  which  end  to  put  the  pillow  on." 

"I  should  imagine  that  there  would  be  wind  blowing 
on  your  head  with  your  head  nearest  the  door." 

"I  am  inclined  to  that  opinion  myself,  and  shall  try 
it  so,  at  least  for  to-night.  By  the  way,  it  would  be  a 
good  idea  if  somebody  would  wind  up  our  clock,  which 
I  see  has  run  down." 

"  If  I  could  find  the  key  I  would  do  so  myself,"  said 
Mr.  Taylor. 

A  few  minutes'  hunt  soon  revealed  the  missing  article, 
and  when  the  clock  had  been  wound  and  set  it  was  found 
to  want  six  minutes  of  eight  o'clock. 

"  There,  that  does  look  more  shipshape ! " 

Just  then  the  clatter  and  tramping  of  sundry  pairs  of 
feet  were  heard  coming  down  the  companion-way,  with  a 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  25 

stamping  well  calculated  to  strike  terror  into  the  heart 
of  all  lovers  of  quiet  and  good  order,  and  in  a  moment 
more  the  door  opened  and  the  three  boys  rushed  into  the 
cabin. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Taylor,  where  is  our  bunk  ?  " 

Three  voices  crying  out  for  the  same  thing  at  the  same 
time,  are  often  apt  to  produce  a  slight  confusion,  but  in 
the  present  case  the  chief  question  soon  resolved  itself 
into  the  fact  that,  as  there  were  only  two  bunks  for  three 
to  sleep  in,  it  was  at  once  obvious  that  two  must  sleep 
in  one  bunk. 

John  and  Freddie  at  once  settled  this  point  of  apparent 
controversy;  as  usual,  by  giving  their  brother  the  high 
bunk,  and  submitting  themselves  to  be  the  pair  who 
should  double. 

In  about  an  hour's  time,  all  were  in  order,  with  the 
exception  of  that  of  Mr.  Murphy. 

The  boys  declared  that  Mr.  Murphy  was  still  sitting 
on  the  top  of  the  forecastle  smoking  his  pipe. 

As  Allie  said  this  the  door  opened  and  in  walked  Mr. 
Murphy,  with  his  pipe  in  his  hand,  and  beamed  genially 
on  Allie,  showing  that  he  had  heard  at  least  part  of  the 
remark  made. 

Mr.  Murphy  then  put  his  pipe  into  his  mouth  and 
began  to  smoke  vigorously. 

"  All  those  who  vote  no  smoking  in  the  cabin,  please 
raise  their  hands,"  shouted  out  a  voice  which  all  soon 
saw  came  from  no  other  than  the  professor. 

Mr.  Murphy  turned  and  made  an  ugly  scowl,  but 
showed  no  signs  of  removing  his  pipe,  —  if  anything,  he 
smoked  all  the  harder. 

As  no  one  responded  to  Mr.  Jacobs's  vote,  Mr.  Murphy 
continued  to  exhale  the  fragrant,  with  a  great  deal  of 


26  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

satisfaction  expressed  in  the  quiet  gleam  of  triumph 
that  shone  in  his  eye. 

He  was  too  discreet,  however,  to  say  anything,  and  a 
moment  later  he  took  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth  and 
quitted  smoking  for  the  time  being. 

All  things  were  now  tight  and  trim,  and  ready  for  the 
night. 

Mr.  Benton  sat  in  his  rocking-chair  close  to  the  table, 
with  his  eye-glasses  on  his  nose,  reading  the  morning's 
paper,  which,  until  this  time,  he  had  found  no  opportunity 
of  looking  at. 

He  would  occasionally  glance  over  the  top  of  his 
glasses  at  the  general  proceedings  about  him,  but  would 
always  end  with  a  "h'm-m-m"  as  he  resumed  his  reading. 

For  a  long  time  no  one  spoke. 

John,  however,  ventured  the  remark  that  they  were  at 
last  all  fairly  at  sea. 

No  one  seemed  to  care  to  dispute  him,  or  argue  a  fact 
so  apparent,  and  the  remark  passed  unheeded. 

As  it  was  by  no  means  dark  overhead,  a  suggestion 
from  one  of  the  boys  to  the  effect,  "  let's  go  on  deck," 
took  like  wild-fire,  and  the  four  children  rushed  together 
for  the  steps. 

A  careless  movement  on  the  part  of  young  Freddie, 
jostled  Jack  against  Mr.  Murphy,  which  knocked  his 
pipe  out  of  his  mouth  and  to  the  floor. 

The  boys  disappeared  up  the  companion-way  so  quickly 
that  no  one  saw  who  did  it. 

Mr.  Murphy  stooped  to  pick  up  his  pipe,  and  as  he  did 
so  he  muttered  something  about  unmannerly  young  dogs, 
that,  for  some  reason  or  other,  attracted  the  attention  and 
strange  to  say  the  ire  of  Mr.  Benton,  who  immediately 
spoke  up  quite  sharply. 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  27 

"  Unmannerly  young  dogs,  sir,  is  it  ?  Unmannerly 
young  dogs  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  if  some  grown  per- 
sons," —  here  Mr.  Benton  laid  great  stress  upon  the 
word  grown  —  "were  more  mannerly  they  would  have 
less  cause  to  complain  of  those  younger  than  them- 
selves." 

Whether  Mr.  Benton  referred  to  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Murphy  had  resumed  his  smoking  in  the  cabin,  or  that 
at  that  moment,  in  picking  up  his  pipe,  he  had  uncon- 
sciously stepped  between  Mr.  Benton  and  the  light,  will 
remain  a  mystery,  for  the  one  was  too  much  surprised  to 
ask,  as  the  other  was,  apparently,  too  angry  for  the 
moment  to  give  an  explanation. 

Mr.  Murphy's  pipe  not  being  materially  damaged,  he 
picked  it  up,  carefully  wiped  it  with  his  handkerchief, 
and  consigned  it  to  a  small  case  which  he  replaced  in 
his  pocket. 

At  this  moment  one  of  the  boys  on  deck  called  down 
for  all  below  to  come  up  and  see  the  phosphorescence  in 
the  water. 

Mr.  Benton  and  Mr.  Ready  remained  below,  while  the 
rest  hastened  to  obey  the  summons. 

Once  on  deck  they  could  see  the  large  dashes  and 
sparkles  of  fire  as  it  shone  in  the  spray  thrown  up  by  the 
vessel's  prow.  Large  patches,  often  a  foot  in  diameter, 
whirled  round  and  round  in  the  eddying  currents,  and 
dashed  by  on  either  side.  The  spray  was  alive  with 
starry  particles,  and  even  the  long,  luminous  wake  of  the 
vessel  shone  like  an  immense  electric  sea  serpent. 

The  professor  immediately  began  a  long  explanation 
of  the  causes  of  various  kinds  of  phosphorescence,  and  of 
this  particular  variety.  He  said  that  it  was  produced  by 
the  countless  myriads  of  the  young  of  the  jelly  fishes, 


28  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

that  swarmed  in  these  waters,  and  were  known  to  the 
scientists  by  the  name  of  hydroids.  It  was  known,  he 
said,  that  hydroids  were  young  jelly  fishes,  and  that  both 
young  and  old  were  more  or  less  luminous  at  times. 
That  they  were  covered  with  rows  of  fine  hair  like  feel- 
ers, called  cilia,  and  that  the  body  of  the  animal  had  the 
power  of  giving  off  under  certain  conditions,  a  certain 
gas,  chemically  known  as  carburetted  hydrogen,  that  was 
luminous  upon  reaching  the  air.  Some  of  these  particles, 
he  said,  doubtless  became  luminous  in  the  water  to  a  cer- 
tain degree,  owing  to  the  air  which  the  water  itself  al- 
ways contained. 

While  the  professor  was  explaining  this  to  those  on 
deck,  one  of  the  boys  had  lowered  the  bucket  and  brought 
it  on  deck  literally  full  of  living  particles  of  fire. 

Taken  to  the  galley,  where  the  cook  was  still  engaged 
in  wiping  the  remains  of  his  dirty  dishes,  the  flare  of  the 
lamp  revealed  a  host  of  tiny,  gelatinous  bodies,  with  one 
or  two  very  good-sized  jelly  fishes. 

Upon  placing  these  in  the  hand  and  taking  them  to  a 
dark  corner,  and  then  suddenly  replacing  them  into  the 
water,  sparks  of  fire  were  given  off  similar  to  those  seen 
so  abundantly  over  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

"Well,  gentlemens,"  said  Max,  during  a  pause  in  the 
proceedings,  "  what  do  you  want  for  your  breakfasts  ?  " 

"  Come,  Max,  give  us  some  oatmeal,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 

"  Beefsteak  and  baked  potatoes  ! "  exclaimed  Allie. 

"Well,  geutlemens,"  laughed  Max,  "if  you  had  fur- 
nished a  register  we  could  have  done  it." 

Max  was  a  Frenchman,  and  though  he  spoke  English 
very  well,  yet  he  often  got  words  strangely  mixed,  as  on 
this  occasion. 

"  Refrigerator,  Max,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 


OFF  FOR  LABRADOR.  29 

"  Yes,  sir ;  if  we  had  a  refrigerator  on  board  we  could 
take  with  us  a  great  many  things  that  we  could  not 
otherwise  get." 

"  You  ought  to  have  one,"  said  Allie  ;  "  if  only  to  take 
my  beefsteak  in." 

"  We  will  give  you  something,  in  the  morning,  that  is 
better  than  beefsteak,"  said  Max. 

"  Tell  us  what  it  is  ! "  chimed  in  Freddie. 

"  You  waits  until  the  morning,  young  fellow,  and  finds 
out  then,"  replied  Max. 

Both  of  the  boys  tried  in  vain  to  discover  what  it  was 
that  they  were  to  have  that  was  better  than  beefsteak. 

One  guessed  one  thing,  and  another  another  thing ; 
but  no  one  could  tell  that  Max  had  four  fine  spring 
chickens  nicely  hidden  away  for  them  next  day.  Nor 
would  any  kind  of  inducements  get  it  out  of  him,  so  the 
boys  left  off  questioning. 

Max  continued  hard  at  work  in  the  galley  for  a  long 
time.  He  made  a  huge  pan  full  of  nice,  white  bread,  and 
set  it  in  the  corner  to  rise ;  then  he  made  a  kettle  full  of 
hasty  pudding,  so  that  it  might  be  ready  to  fry  in  the 
morning.  After  that  he  put  away  all  the  dishes,  washed 
up  everywhere  and  everything,  and,  shutting  the  doors  of 
the  galley,  with  a  "  good  nights,  gentlemen ;  my  work  is 
done  for  the  nights,  and  I'll  go  to  bed,"  descended  into 
the  forecastle. 

It  was  now  quite  still  on  deck,  and,  as  there  was  no 
longer  anything  to  keep  them  up,  all  returned  again  to 
the  cabin,  and  soon  after  they  too  went  to  bed. 

Thus  ended  the  first  day  on  board  the  North  Star, 
bound  for  Labrador. 


30  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ARRIVAL    AT    HALIFAX. 

THE  morning  of  the  third  day  opened  fair  and  pleas- 
ant, but  with  little  wind.  At  seven  o'clock  the  cap- 
tain hove  the  log,  and  it  was  found  that,  altogether, 
the  vessel  had  made  a  little  over  three  hundred  miles, 
thus  leaving  about  fifty  miles  more  to  be  traversed  be- 
fore reaching  Halifax. 

The  morning  of  the  fourth,  Freddie  Benton,  as  usual, 
was  the  first  to  arise  and  hurry  on  deck.  The  scene  that 
presented  itself  to  his  eyes  contained  such  a  variety  of 
objects,  and  differed  so  materially  from  what  he  had 
seen  when  he  retired  at  night,  or  rather  the  noon  before, 
that  at  first  he  gazed  at  it  in  the  dazed  state  of  one  who 
is  suddenly  struck  sun  or  snow  blind.  But  Freddie  was 
not  one  to  remain  in  such  a  condition  long,  so  he  rubbed 
his  eyes,  blew  his  nose  with  his  handkerchief,  and,  rub- 
bing his  eyes  again,  put  to  the  man  at  the  wheel  the 
very  natural  inquiry  of : 

"  Say !  where  are  we  ?  " 

The  man  at  the  wheel,  who  was  all  this  time  snugly 
sitting  near  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  and  not  at  the  wheel 
at  all,  laughed  heartily  and  did  not  reply. 

"  Say,"  shouted  Freddie,  "  where  are  we  ?  " 

"  In  Boston,  again,"  said  the  man. 

"  Boston,"  said  Freddie,  "  how  did  we  get  there  ?  " 

"  Drifted  there  in  the  night,"  replied  the  man. 


ARRIVAL   AT  HALIFAX.  31 

"  Why  !  this  ain't  Boston  ! "  Freddie  answered. 

"  No  ;  this  is  Newfoundland,"  again  said  the  man. 

"  Oh !  Allie  !  Come  up  here  quick,  we  are  in  New- 
foundland. Come,  hurry  up  ! " 

A  moment  later  and  Allie,  too,  appeared  at  the  head  of 
the  companion-way,  and  going  through  with  the  same 
process  as  his  brother  had,  he  gazed  at  the  scene  in  blank 
amazement. 

"  Why,  Freddie !  this  isn't  Newfoundland,  this  is 
Halifax." 

"Halifax?" 

"  Yes  ! " 

"  Hooray  —  hoo-ray  !  Hal-i-f ax ! "  shouted  Freddie,  in 
his  loudest  tones.  "  Get  up,  all  hands  !  Get  up  !  We 
are  in  Hal-i-fax ! " 

All  was  in  commotion  in  a  moment.  At  first  no  one 
would  believe  it.  Everybody  was  up,  and  hastening  to 
dress  themselves  that  they  might  go  on  shore.  Mr. 
Murphy  alone  remained  in  his  bunk,  apparently  undis- 
turbed by  the  excitement  around  him. 

In  ten  minutes  after  Freddie  had  sounded  the  alarm, 
everybody  else  in  the  cabin  had  shown  their  heads  above 
the  hatch  to  have  a  glimpse  at  the  scene.  Each  party, 
having  taken  a  glimpse  long  enough  to  see  that  there 
were  houses  near,  and  that  it  must  be  the  veritable  Hali- 
fax itself,  would  immediately  pop  below  again,  to  make 
room  for  somebody  else,  and  begin  a  most  frantic  flurry, 
preparatory  to  dressing,  that  they  might  get  breakfast 
ashore. 

One  would  really  have  imagined  that  it  was  Sunday, 
and  that  the  party  were  preparing  to  go  to  church.  Mr. 
Benton  and  the  boys  dressed  themselves,  —  the  former 
looked  as  if  he  were  going  to  a  very  fashionable  ball ;  the 


32  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

latter,  each  with  their  sailor's  blouses,  caps,  and  large 
trowsers,  were  really  quite  appropriately  and  comfort- 
ably attired. 

Mr.  Jacobs  and  Mr.  Taylor  put  on  their  very  best, 
and  occupied  the  main  cabin,  in  washing  and  dressing, 
for  so  long  a  time  that  Mr.  Ready,  and  the  others  who 
were  waiting  for  them  so  that  all  might  go  ashore  to- 
gether, grew  really  quite  impatient.  Mr.  Benton,  alone, 
ventured  a  slight  remonstrance. 

"  How  long  do  those  gentlemen  in  the  cabin  intend  to 
delay  us  ?  "  said  he  to  Mr.  Ready. 

"I  don't  know,  I'm  sure,"  replied  Mr.  Ready.  " There's 
always  some  delay  at  the  last  moment." 

"  We  are  coming  right  away,"  shouted  out  Mr.  Taylor 
from  below,  who  had  heard  every  word  that  had  been 
said  on  deck. 

"  All  right,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  we  are  going  now 
as  soon  as  we  can." 

When  the  two  gentlemen  came  on  deck  there  was  a 
tremendous  sensation,  especially  among  the  boys.  Mr. 
Jacobs  was  dressed  in  an  elegant  brown  suit,  and  had 
collar  and  cuffs  on,  attached  to  a  white  shirt  which  shone 
conspicuously  in  front ;  his  shoes  were  polished  in  a  way 
that  would  have  astounded  a  city  bootblack ;  and  with 
a  large  East  India  palm  leaf  hat  crowning  the  summit 
of  his  head.  Mr.  Taylor  was  dressed  in  a  someAvhat 
similar  manner. 

Somebody  whispered,  very  audibly,  something  that 
sounded  very  much  like  either  dude  or  dudes,  but  it  was 
difficult  to  tell  which.  Mr.  Ready  and  Jack,  with  Mr. 
Furness,  brought  up  the  rear,  and,  when  all  had  stepped 
into  the  boat,  the  captain  and  the  mate  got  in  also  and 
rowed  them  ashore. 


ARRIVAL   AT  HALIFAX.  33 

As  it  was  now  about  seven  o'clock  there  was  an  hour 
before  breakfast,  so  each,  party  dispersed  to  enjoy  them- 
selves as  they  pleased  until  eight,  when  all  were  to  meet 
again  at  the  hotel,  whither  Mr.  Ready  had  gone  to  order 
breakfast,  and  beefsteak  breakfast  at  that,  for  nine,  to  be 
on  the  table  promptly  at  eight. 

While  waiting  for  the  expected  hour  to  arrive  Mr. 
Benton  and  the  boys,  in  fact  all  the  others,  Mr.  Ready 
excepted,  went  to  the  office  to  obtain  the  mail. — :This 
was  an  old-fashioned  governmental-looking  sort  of  a 
building,  of  dingy  stone  work,  and  built  on  the  slope  of 
a  hill.  —  The  interior  much  resembled  the  exterior,  and 
the  office  part  was  in  a  dark  corner  at  the  left  of  the 
entrance. 

The  windows  were  closed,  when  the  party  entered,  and 
so  they  were  obliged  to  wait  a  considerable  time  for  their 
letters.  The  three  boys  ranged  themselves  on  the  top 
of  a  s,team  register  and  waited  patiently  their  turn.  The 
rest  of  the  party,  preferring  to  wait  outside,  went  into 
the  street  again  to  stroll  around  and  see  the  sights. 

After  about  half  an  hour  the  stamp  window  opened, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  mail  opened  also.  The  boys 
got  their  letters  and,  as  it  was  nearly  eight,  started  off 
for  the  hotel.  When  they  arrived  there  breakfast  was 
ready  and  waiting.  As  nearly  all  were  there,  they  sat 
down  at  once  and  began  to  eat. 

It  was  a  fair  meal,  and  it  was  surprising  to  see  the 
way  the  beefsteak  and  baked  potatoes,  the  hot  rolls  and 
coffee,  and  all  the  other  good  things  disappeared.  The 
waiters  were  kept  flying  around  continually  bringing  new 
supplies,  and  all  went  on  as  merry  as  possible.  The 
waiters  were  extremely  polite,  one  of  them  even  brought 
Mr.  Benton  his  coffee  in  a  tumbler,  and  poured  his  por- 


34  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

ter  into  a  cup.  Then  seeing  his  mistake  he  took  them 
both  away  and  even  forgot  to  return  them  till  Mr.  Ben- 
ton  asked  for  his  coffee  ;  then  it  was  so  cold  he  had  to 
get  another  cup  and  another  bottle  of  porter,  because  the 
other  by  this  time  had  lost  all  its  foam. 

At  last  the  breakfast  was  finished,  and  all  hands,  the 
men  with  their  cigars,  went  out  to  view  the  town  and 
see  whatever  there  was  of  interest  to  be  seen. 

Finding  it  much  the  cheaper  way,  a  bus  was  hired,  and 
the  party  went  around  to  the  citadel,  and  all  over  that ; 
down  the  street  to  the  point ;  back  again  and  through 
the  most  important  places  until  they  were  fairly  tired, 
and  had  seen  all  of  interest  that  they  cared  about.  As 
this  occupied  nearly  all  of  the  morning,  after  lunch  the 
party  took  the  ferry  and  went  across  the  bay  to  the 
other  side.  —  About  four  in  the  afternoon  they  returne^ 
and  wandered  about  the  streets,  visiting  all  the  stores 
and  places  of  importance,  each  enjoying  himself  hugely. 

Mr.  Benton  and  the  boys  then  separated  from  the  others 
and  might  have  been  seen  in  a  large  store  that  was  stocked 
full  of  guns,  fishing-tackle,  and  every  kind  of  game  appur- 
tenance, eagerly  employed  in  picking  out  fishing  gear,  and 
also  powder  and  shot  for  the  guns.  Each  of  the  boys 
got  a  fish  pole  and  a  reel,  with  a  nice  grass  line  of  fifty 
yards,  and  several  dozen  fly  hooks,  besides  an  assortment 
of  plain,  and  plain  snelled  hooks.  Besides  these  Mr. 
Benton  purchased  several  dozen  common,  cheap  lines  and 
a  box  of  assorted  hooks  for  all  sorts  of  fishing.  He  did 
not  get  any  cod  lines,  as  the  captain  had  informed  him 
that  there  were  already  a  number  of  them  on  board.  In 
the  shot  department  Mr.  Bentcii  purchased  four  bags  of 
shot :  one  of  number  twelves,  two  of  number  eight,  and 
one  of  a  larger  size  of  number  BB  for  big  gulls.  A  keg 


ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX.  35 

of  powder  was  added  to  the  bill ;  and  a  couple  of  rolls  of 
caps,  containing  a  thousand  in  each  roll,  of  Ely's  single 
waterproof  make,  were  also  purchased.  —  Then  a  large 
quantity  of  cut  wads,  a  considerable  number  of  small 
nicknacks  and  useful  articles  of  one  thing  and  another, 
among  which  was  a  patent  gun  cleaner,  completed  the 
list.  As  each  of  the  boys  had  a  gun,  and  as  they  were 
all  muzzle  loaders,  the  ammunition  for  one  answered  for 
all. 

At  length  the  outfit  here  was  complete.  Then  Mr. 
Benton  paid  for  them  all,  and  ordered  them  sent  on  board 
the  vessel. 

By  this  time  it  was  nearly  dark,  so  all  hands  started 
for  the  hotel,  where  they  were  to  have  dinner.  One  by 
one  the  various  members  of  the  party  straggled  in  until, 
by  seven  o'clock,  all  were  present.  Then  came  dinner. 
After  dinner  the  gentlemen  sat  and  smoked  and  rested, 
till  they  were  aroused  by  Mr.  Ready,  who  came  to  say 
that  as  there  was  a  good  breeze  the  captain  thought  they 
had  better  get  under  way  and  sail,  unless  the  gentlemen 
wished  to  remain  all  night  on  shore  at  the  hotel. 

A  vote  being  taken,  strange  to  say,  all  were  in  favor  of 
staying  but  Mr.  Benton  and  Mr.  Ready ;  these  gentle- 
men argued  that  it  was  better  to  sail  in  the  night,  and  as 
there  was  a  good  breeze,  more  would  be  accomplished  by 
starting  at  once ;  the  vote  having  been  taken,  however, 
the  gentlemen  very  willingly  gave  up  their  wishes  in  the 
matter,  and  so  it  was  agreed  to  remain  that  night  in  Hali- 
fax, and  start  early  the  next  morning,  if  the  wind  was 
good.  With  this  agreement,  and  the  further  provision 
that  all  hands  be  on  board  at  eight  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  if  the  wind*  was  fair  Mr.  Ready  started  for 
the  vessel  to  let  the  captain  know  of  the  agreement. 


36  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

As  most  of  the  stores  were  closed  by  this  time,  and  as 
all  hands  were  very  tired,  one  by  one  each  sought  his 
room,  and  by  nine  o'clock  nearly  everybody  was  in  bed 
and  asleep. 

Prompt  at  the  appointed  time,  the  next  morning,  all 
hands  were  on  board ;  a  few  moments  later  the  sails 
were  set,  the  anchor  hove,  and  the  North  Star,  with  her 
canvas  filled  with  the  genial  breeze  that  came  from  the 
southwest,  gallantly  bent  herself  to  the  pressure  of  wind 
and  glided  like  a  white  winged  gull,  down  the  bay  and 
out  of  Halifax  harbor  into  the  sea.  • 

"Well,  captain,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  coming  up  to  the 
captain,  who  was  pacing  the  deck  just  forward  of  the 
traveller ;  "  what  is  our  next  stopping  place  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we'll  stop  at  Canso,  I  guess." 

"I  suppose  you  mean  the  place  they  call  Port  Mul- 
berry, or  something  of  the  kind." 

"  Yes  !  Port  Mulgrave  is  on  one  side,  and  Port  Hawkes- 
bury  on  the  other." 

"Is  Port  Mulgrave  the  place  where  we  will  get  our 
letters  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  you  told  them  to  write  to  you  there." 

"Ah,  Mr.  Murphy,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  about 
once  more.  I  hope  your  efforts  last  evening,  and  yester- 
day, were  not  too  much  for  you."  (Mr.  Murphy  had  suf- 
fered considerably  from  seasickness.) 

"  Oh,  no,  thank  you !  I  am  very  well  this  morning, 
and  considerably  improved.  I  think  that  I  shall  be  able 
to  enjoy  the  day,  now,  as  well  as  anybody ;  but  what  are 
the  Benton  boys  doing  ?  Let  us  go  and  watch  them ! " 

The  three  boys  were  sitting  down  on  the  hatchway  be- 
fore a  very  large  box,  from  which  they  were  industriously 
striving  to  remove  the  cover,  with  a  screwdriver  and  a 


ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX.  37 

hammer.  The  box  was  about  four  feet  long  and  four 
wide,  while  it  was  about  fourteen  inches  deep.  It  was 
made  of  very  hard  wood,  and  while  there  were  hinges 
upon  one  side  of  it  and  a  couple  of  staples  and  a  padlock 
upon  the  other,  the  whole  cover  had  been  securely 
fastened  down  by  means  of  screws. 

John,  producing  a  key,  unlocked  and  took  off  the  pad- 
lock, then,  when  all  the  screws  had  been  extracted,  the 
cover  was  opened  and  the  contents  exposed. 

It  was,  in  fact,  a  carefully  arranged  box,  containing 
the  apparatus  for'  collecting  specimens  of  Natural  His- 
tory. It  had  been  prepared  for  the  boys  by  a  scientific 
friend  who  had  taken  great  interest  in  them,  and  who 
had  given  them  much  good  advice  and  a  great  many  val- 
uable hints  upon  Natural  History  in  general,  and  espe- 
cially in  collecting  specimens  in  that  branch.  No  one 
felt  more  the  importance  of  this  branch  of  science  to  the 
boys  than  John ;  and  no  one  was  more  interested  in  the 
work,  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  it  in  itself,  than  Allie  and 
Freddie,  —  though  the  latter  knew  very  little  about  it. 
John  had  said,  laughingly,  that  "  no  one  knew  less  about 
bugs,  shells,  and  that  kind  of  truck,  than  Freddie,"  yet 
Freddie,  when  he  told  John  that  he  "  need  not  look  for 
any  more  gun-wads  from  him,"  of  which  he  had  made  a 
great  many  for  his  brother,  and  received  much  commen- 
dation —  decidedly  had  the  best  of  it. 

"  Well,  boys !  what  are  you  up  to  now  ? "  said  Mr. 
Taylor,  as  he  and  Mr.  Murphy  approached  where  the 
boys  were  at  work. 

"  Unpacking  our  box,  sir  !  " 

"What  have  you  got  there,  and  where  did  you  get 
it?" 

"  It  was  put  up  for  us  by  a  friend  at  home.     We  do 


38  W KECK  ED    ON  LABRADOR, 

not  yet  know  ourselves  what  is  in  it.  Won't  you  stay 
and  see  us  inspect  it  ?  " 

"  Why  yes,  we  should  like  to  do  so  very  much ; 
shouldn't  we,  Mr.  Murphy  ?  " 

Mr.  .Murphy  nodded  his  head  affirmatively,  and  con- 
tinued to  smoke  his  pipe  in  silence. 

"Ah!  here  comes  Mr.  Jacobs.  I  suppose  you  know 
that  he-is  a  professor  in  this  very  branch.  He  will  know 
all  about  these  things.  If  you  ask  him  perhaps  he  will 
come  and  help  you.  Help  you  with  good  advice,  if  in  no 
other  way." 

"  Wait,  Allie,  and  I  will  go  and  ask  him,"  said  John. 

In  a  moment  more  John  returned  with  Mr.  Jacobs, 
who  was  only  too  glad  to  help  the  boys  all  that  was  in 
his  power  —  and  who  entered  very  heartily  into  their 
schemes. 

As  it  was  a  pleasant  day,  and  not  too  hot,  they  all  sat 
right  down,  where  they  were,  and  prepared  to  complete 
the  work  of  investigating  the  box. 

"  I  suppose  you  know  what  the  box  contains,  and 
something  about  the  use  of  these  various  articles, 
John." 

"  No,  sir  !  we  know  very  little  about  them.  We  had  a 
few  written  instructions  from  our  friend  who  got  them 
for  us,  and  I  have  seen  a  few  of  them  used  before,  but 
we  know  very  little  about  collecting  in  the  salt-water." 

"  Never  mind  about  written  instructions.  You'll  learn 
more  in  half  an  hour's  good  solid  work,  than  by  all  the 
instructions  you  can  have  on  paper.  Come!  hurry  off 
that  cover,  and  let  us  see  what  there  is  in  there ;  you 
have  excited  my  curiosity." 

Thus  admonished,  John  and  Allie  took  off  the  cover 
of  the  box,  and  began  to  examine  the  contents. 


ARRIVAL   AT  HALIFAX.  39 

"  Now,  if  you  will  take  them  all  out,  and  place  them 
here,  in  order,  on  the  hatchway,  we  can  easily  see  what 
you  have,  and  then  we  can  put  them  back  again  after- 
wards. Ah  !  there  comes  the  dredge." 

The  dredge  was  a  narrow  frame-work  of  iron,  about 
two  feet  long  and  eight  inches  wide,  each  piece  three 
inches  deep  and  with  the  front  edges  lengthways,  thin, 
sharp,  and  bent  slightly  outward  so  that  when  resting  on 
the  bottom,  and  drawn  along  by  the  rope,  it  scooped  the 
ground  like  a  knife,  the  material  thus  scooped  going 
inside  of  the  frame-work.  From  the  middle  of  the  side 
bars,  were  two  iron  arms  that  came  together  above  the 
center  of  the  dredge,  and  through  a  ring  in  each  of  which 
the  dredge  rope  was  fastened.  Around  the  bottom  of 
the  iron  frame-work  were  a  large  number  of  small  holes, 
by  which  the  netting  and  all  the  canvas  of  the  dredge 
was  fastened.  The  instrument,  as  John  took  it  out,  was 
already  completed  and  ready  for  use.  The  net  was  of 
very  fine  meshes  and  very  deep,  and  it  was  sewed  to  the 
inside  of  the  frame-work  to  prevent  the  rough  wear  and 
tear  of  the  handling  process.  On  the  outside  of  the 
dredge  was  a  large,  quadrangular  piece  of  thick  canvas, 
sewed  into  the  same  holes  as  was  the  net,  on  each  of  the 
longest  sides  of  the  iron,  the  canvas  coming  just  beyond 
the  bottom  of  the  net.  All  of  this  was  of  course  to  be 
seen  at  a  glance.  Mr.  Jacobs  explained  that  the  canvas 
was  to  prevent  the  net  itself  from  being  torn  to  pieces 
by  being  dragged  on  the  bottom  of  the  water  over  sharp 
stones  and  sharp,  angular  growths  of  nullipore,  so  abun- 
dant everywhere  in  shallow  water.  In  a  corner  of  the 
partition  from  which  the  dredge  had  been  taken  were 
two  large  leaden  weights  of  about  ten  pounds  each,  and 
in  another  corner  were  three  nets,  one  of  the  same  size 


40  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

as  that  which  was  in  the  dredge  which  they  had  before 
them,  and  two  of  a  smaller  size. 

"  Ah  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  You  have  two 
dredges  here ;  let  us  find  the  other  one." 

The  other  one  was  readily  found,  —  being  the  first 
article  next  in  order  in  the  box.  It  was  of  a  pattern 
similar  to  that  of  the  larger  dredge,  and  made  for  use 
in  shallow  water.  Its  length  was  only  fourteen  inches. 
Beneath  it  were  two  small  leads  of  five  pounds  each. 
This  smaller  dredge  was  also  all  ready  for  use. 

"  Where  are  your  ropes  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Jacobs. 

"  I  say,  Freddie,  won't  you  go  into  the  cubby,  down  in 
the  galley,  and  bring  those  two  coils  of  new  rope  ?  " 

Freddie  hastened  off,  and  soon  reappeared  tugging 
away  at  two  huge  coils  of  rope,  which  he  had  got  as  far 
as  the  deck,  and  which  he  was  trying  to  get  the  rest  of 
the  way.  Allie,  seeing  him,  hastened  to  his  help,  and 
soon  the  coils  were  brought. 

Mr.  Jacobs  then  took  the  end  of  the  larger  coil,  — 
which  proved  to  be  of  fine  manilla  rope  and  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  fastened  it  to  one  of 
the  rings  of  the  dredge.  He  then  took  a  piece  of  the 
smaller  coil,  and  fastening  one  end  of  it  to  the  other  ring, 
tied  the  other  end  to  the  main  rope.  This,  "he  explained, 
was  so  that  should  the  iron  be  caught  on  a  rock,  the 
smaller  rope  would  break  before  the  dredge  itself,  thus 
saving  the  dredge  in  many  cases  where  it  might  other- 
wise be  lost.  The  weight  was  fastened  to  the  rope  six 
feet  in  front  of  the  dredge,  and  Mr.  Jacobs  pronounced 
it  all  ready  to  be  used. 

Both  dredges  having  been  "  rigged,"  and  set  one  side, 
the  boys  turned  their  attention  to  the  next  article  in  the 
box.  This  was  no  other  than  a  board  resting  upon  two 


ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX.  41 

side  pieces  of  wood.  Upon  seeing  it  the  boys  at  first 
imagined  that  they  had  arrived  at  the  bottom  of  the  par- 
tition; but  a  second  glance  showed  that  it  came  out 
quite  easily,  being  arranged  so  that  the  heavy  dredge 
iron  would  not  injure  the  more  fragile  articles  beneath. 
These  consisted  of  a  large,  oblong  sieve  of  quite'  fine 
meshes,  which  the  professor  explained  was  for  sifting 
the  material  brought  up  from  the  bottom,  by  the  dredges ; 
and  a  fine  large  dip  net,  with  a  long,  jointed  handle. 
These  latter  articles  were  all  packed  in  carefully  with 
cloth,  which,  upon  inspection,  proved  to  be  what  is  com- 
monly known  as  strainer  cloth,  and  which,  Mr.  Jacobs 
said,  was  for  doing  specimens  up  in  previously  to  placing 
them  in  alcohol. 

The  middle  partition  of  the  box  contained  three  large 
copper  cans,  with  large  inside  mouths,  fastened  by 
screws,  filled  with  alcohol  for  preserving  fishes,  crus- 
taceas,  and  other  large  marine  animals.  One  of  the 
cans  was  double  the  size  of  the  other  two,  and  had 
the  mark  eight  upon  it ;  the  others  were  each  marked 
four,  and  contained  eight  and  four  gallons  of  alcohol 
apiece. 

The  third  partition  of  the  box  was  next  examined.  It 
contained  about  a  dozen  jars,  four  quart  and  eight  two- 
quart  jars,  all  filled  with  alcohol  ready  for  use.  They 
had  the  top  or  mouth  of  the  jar  of  the  same  dimensions 
as  the  bottom,  and  were,  so  Mr.  Jacobs  told  the  boys, 
what  were  called  butter  jars.  Then  there  were  two  large 
two-quart  common  preserving  cans,  and  four  small  quarts 
of  the  same  make. 

In  the  farther  corner  of  the  box  were  two  boxes  placed 
one  above  the  other.  —  One  of  these  contained  a  variety 
of  two,  four,  six,  and  eight  ounce  bottles,  with  large 


42  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

mouths  and  corks,  for  collecting  smaller  specimens.  The 
other  box  had  a  small  partition  in  it,  dividing  the  box 
into  halves,  one  half  containing  small  homoeopathic 
vials  of  all  sizes,  and  the  other  an  assortment  of  pill 
boxes ;  two  of  which,  being  marked  upon  the  outside, 
were  found  to  contain  a  quantity  of  tags,  made  of  stout 
cardboard  with  strings  on  them,  which  might  be  used  for 
labeling  specimens  with.  A  third  box,  much  larger 
than  the  others,  contained  parchment  labels,  for  a  similar 
purpose.  In  one  corner  of  the  box  was  a  ball  of  fine, 
stout,  red  twine  for  doing  up  bundles  and  tying  around 
specimens  done  up  in  the  cloth  before  being  put  into  the 
cans  or  bottles. 

"Well! "  said  the  professor,  when  the  inspection  was 
completed,  "  your  friend  certainly  understood  how  to  fit 
you  out  for  work  on  sea  animals." 

"  I  should  say  so ! "  exclaimed  John  and  Allie  in  the 
same  breath. 

"  It  is  funny,"  said  John,  "  he  did  not  know  about  it 
until  a  few  days  before  we  sailed,  and  then  the  box  did 
not  arrive  until  a  short  time  before  we  started." 

"  Yes  ! "  cried  Freddie.  "  Don't  you  remember,  Allie, 
that  the  box  came  in  the  same  wagon  that  Mr.  Jacobs 
and  the  trunks  came  on." 

Just  as  Mr.  Jacobs  performed  the  very  unprofessor- 
like  act  of  turning  to  Mr.  Taylor  and  winking  very  hard, 
Freddie's  eye  caught  him  in  the  act. 

"Oh,  John!"  cried  Freddie,  "Mr.  Jacobs  knows  all 
about  it ;  see,  he  is  winking  to  Mr.  Taylor,  and  I  believe 
he  and  Mr.  Chalmers  "  (Mr.  Chalmers  being  the  scientific 
friend  who  had  helped  the  boys  in  their  work)  "  knew  all 
about  it,  long  ago ! " 

*  Yes !  I'm  sure  they  must  have,"  said  Allie.     "  He 


ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX.  43 

don't  deny  it !  See  him  wink  at  Mr.  Taylor !  I  don't 
care,  I  think  you  are  awfully  good,"  said  Allie. 

"  Thank  you  for  your  good  opinion,  my  boy,"  Mr. 
Jacobs  replied.  "  I'll  do  all  I  can  to  keep  you  busy  this 
trip.  I  don't  think  you'll  have  much  time  to  be  idle; 
but  let  me  see  the  net !  " 

Mr.  Jacobs  then  took  the  net,  screwed  together  the 
handle,  which  was  of  five  joints,  each  piece  with  a  nice 
brass  ferule  and  screw,  and  then  the  brass  ring  of  the 
net. 

"  There !  that  is  as  fine  a  net  as  you  can  get  anywhere. 
We  got  that  at  Bradford  &  Anthony's,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 
"  Ah-a- 1  mean  it  is  as  good  a  one  as  any  that  you  could 
get  at  Bradford  &  Anthony's,"  Mr.  Jacobs  observed,  cor- 
recting himself. 

None  of  the  boys  noticed  the  remark,  but  Mr.  Taylor 
winked  with  the  professor  at  the  blunder,  and  Mr.  Mur- 
phy began  to  laugh  so  hard  that  everybody  looked  up  in 
surprise  to  see  what  was  the  matter ;  while  Mr.  Murphy 
was  obliged  to  cough  very  hard,  and  then  to  put  his  pipe 
into  his  mouth  and  smoke  vigorously  for  some  time  be- 
fore he  could  regain  his  equanimity. 

"Now,  Allie,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  "go  to  Max  and  bor- 
row a  pail ;  a  large  wooden  one,  if  you  can  get  it.  Tell 
him  that  you  are  only  going  to  put  sea  water  and  sea- 
weeds and  that  like  into  it." 

Allie  was  off  in  a  moment,  and  soon  returned  with  the 
pail. 

"That's  all  right.  Now  fill  it  with  water  from  the 
draw  bucket." 

Allie  did  as  he  was  told,  and  soon  had  the  pail  full  of 
fresh,  clean  sea  water.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Jacobs  had  been 
leaning  over  the  side  of  the  vessel,  intently  watching  the 


44  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

water  and  the  several  small  particles  of  seaweed  that 
were  continually  passing.  Presently  he  made  a  lunge, 
and  captured  a  large,  tangled  mass  of  weed  that  came 
passing  by.  This  he  quickly  transferred  to  the  pail,  and, 
with  the  precaution  to  the  boys  of  "  don't  touch  it  yet," 
proceeded  to  capture  several  more  smaller  pieces,  and 
finally  another  large  mass  of  weeds  which,  with  that  al- 
ready taken,  nearly  filled  the  pail. 

"Now,  boys,"  said  the  professor,  "let's  see  what  we 
have  got." 

All  hands  crowded  about  the  pail,  while  Freddie  was 
dispatched  for  two  tin  basins  from  the  cook,  and  the 
professor  began  to  pick  over  the  seaweed  in  the  pail. 
While  they  were  thus  occupied  Jack  Ready  took  the 
draw  bucket  and  filling  it  with  water,  watched  his  chances, 
and  soon  had  a  second  pailful  of  seaweed. 

"That's  good,"  said  the  professor,  "keep  us  supplied 
with  it." 

Just  then  Jack  saw  a  great  mass  of  weed  approaching, 
so  he  ran  and  got  a  great  tub,  which  was  standing  near 
the  galley,  and  began  filling  that.  Netful  after  netful 
came  up,  and  soon  Jack  had  this  heaping  to  the  top  with 
weed. 

"  Let  us  stop,"  said  the  professor,  "  and  get  all  we  can, 
assort  it,  and  then  see  what  we  have  got." 

To  do  this,  the  weeds  in  the  water  pail  were  emptied 
into  the  tub,  as  were  those  in  the  bucket  also,  and  the 
pail  filled  with  fresh  water.  Then  the  seaweed  was 
taken,  piece  by  piece,  and  shaken  into  the  water,  to  free 
it  from  any  small  animals  that  might  be  on  it,  and  after- 
wards looked  over  carefully  for  anything  that  might  be 
adhering  to  it.  In  this  way  the  water  pail  was  soon 
fairly  alive  with  all  sorts  of  small  crustaceans,  water 


ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX.  45 

fleas,  small  fishes  that  had  become  entangled  in  the 
masses,  many  species  of  very  pretty  shells,  and  not  a 
few  very  delicate  and  pretty  seaweeds.  The  professor, 
also,  laid  aside  a  number  of  immense  clusters  of  barna- 
cles, and  also  several  pieces  of  board  with  curiously 
shaped  conical  pieces  of  shell-like  formation  upon  them, 
which  the  professor  said  were  also  barnacles,  but  of  a 
different  species. 

Still  the  fishing  went  on.  The  tub  was  filled  with 
weed  and  emptied  a  number  of  times.  The  boys  were 
kept  busy  nearly  all  the  morning,  and  by  noon  two  large 
pails  were  filled  with  all  sort  and  variety  of  animal  life. 
A  third  pail  contained  several  jelly  fishes,  and  smaller 
animals  of  a  similar  kind  that  had  been  captured  by  the 
net ;  and  thus,  by  dinner  time,  the  boys  had  three  pails 
full  of  material  for  a  fine  study  of  sea  life,  which  the 
professor  readily  agreed  to  help  them  to  look  over  and 
examine,  as  well  as  to  bottle,  in  the  afternoon. 

It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  the  boys  could  be  per- 
suaded to  leave  their  work  even  long  enough  for  dinner. 
Max  was  obliged  to  shout  to  them  several  times  that  din- 
ner was  ready,  before  they  seemed  to  be  aware  that  he 
was  speaking  to  them  or  even  that  he  was  speaking  at 
all.  The  cry  of  fresh  roast  mutton  had  no  attractions, 
and  the  addition  of  plum  pudding  and  molasses  was  en- 
tirely unheeded.  At  length  the  case  became  so  desper- 
ate that  Max  was  obliged  to  threaten  them  with  the 
entire  loss  of  their  dinner  if  they  did  not  come  at  once. 

"I  will  give  you  just  five  minutes  more  to  get  your 
dinner  in,  boys ;  and  if  you  are  not  here  in  that  time,  you 
gets  no  dinner  to-day,"  said  Max,  somewhat  vexed  at  the 
delay. 

The  last  words,  "  no  dinner  to-day,"  were  too  much  to 


46  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

be  resisted,  and  soon  the  boys  were  as  interested  in  dis- 
cussing the  merits  of  roast  mutton  and  plum  pudding,  as 
they  had  been  a  few  moments  before  of  sea  animals  and 
jelly  fish. 

After  dinner  the  boys  and  Mr.  Jacobs  gathered  around 
the  pails  again,  and  began  to  work  over  their  specimens. 

"What  are  these  great  long-necked,  funny  looking 
white  things  ?  "  asked  Allie,  taking  up  a  large  bunch  of 
seaweed,  from  which  hung  some  thirty  or  forty  objects 
of  different  sizes,  with  long  stems  of  necks,  and  large 
triangular  shaped  heads. 

"Those  are  barnacles.  They  are  animals  that  live  in 
the  salt  water  in  the  way  you  see  them  here,  and  are  of 
the  variety  known  as  goosenecks,  on  account  of  their 
long  stems  and  peculiar  bird-like  heads.  They  were 
known  in  Europe  in  very  early  times,  and  there  is  an  old 
story,"  continued  Mr.  Jacobs,  "that  they  grew  on  trees, 
and  that  the  inside,  where  you  see  the  animal  and  fringed 
feet,  was  the  young  of  the  goose.  The  people  believed 
that  the  young  goose  was  hatched  from  these  plants,  and 
that  they  then  fell  off  into  the  water,  where  they  lived 
and  grew  to  be  full-grown  geese,  when  they  flew  away  in 
flocks.  This  story  was  believed  by  well-informed  and 
even  prominent  men  in  different  parts  of  the  world  for  a 
long  time." 

"  Yes,  but  did  you  not  call  these  barnacles  ?  "  asked  Fred- 
die, taking  up  one  of  the  boards  with  the  shell-like  cones 
upon  it.  "They  are  not  the  same ! " 

"  No,  those  that  you  have  in  your  hand  are  a  different 
species  from  the  long-necked  ones.  They  are  also  of  a 
different  genus.  The  one  has  a  hard  shell-like  covering 
of  lime,  while  the  other  has  nothing  except  what  we  call 
a  naked  covering.  They  both  grow  in  large  colonies  of 


ARRIVAL   AT  HALIFAX.  47 

single  animals,  however.  The  long-necked  species  grows 
as  you  see  it,  and  is  not  nearly  as  often  found  as  the 
other,  which  grows  almost  everywhere,  on  rocks,  boards, 
or  anywhere  it  can  find  a  place  to  fasten  itself  upon. 
You  will  often,  at  the  seashore,  see  the  rocks  along  the 
beach  covered  with  this  shell-like  variety  for  miles ;  in 
fact,  they  are  always  more  or  less  common  on  any  sea 
beach,  while  the  others  are  generally  found  attached  to 
floating  objects,  a  distance  from  land,  at  sea."' 

"How  many  species  of  barnacles  are  there,  Mr.  Ja- 
cobs ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Oh !  there  are  a  great  many.  Nearly  every  country 
has  several  varieties.  There  are  about  our  New  England 
coast  and  its  adjacent  waters  some  three  or  four  species 
only,  but  a  great  many  rare  forms  have  been  found,  and 
some  of  them  in  a  very  curious  way,"  continued  Mr. 
Jacobs. 

"  Do  tell  us  about  them,  sir,"  urged  John. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have  not  reached  that  point  in  your 
education,"  laughed  Mr.  Jacobs,  "  where  you  will  appre- 
ciate, without  the  specimens,  or  fully  understand  the 
connection;  but,"  he  added,  "there  are  several  other 
species  that  have  been  taken  on  the  coast,  that  are  com- 
mon in  warmer  climates.  Some  that  came  here  on  the 
bottom  of  ships  from  tropical  seas,  where  they  had  fas- 
tened themselves  to  the  vessels.  Some  have  been  found 
living  in  rivers,  miles  from  the  sea;  others  have  been 
dredged  from  the  bottom  of  the  water,  many  fathoms  in 
depth.  One  curious  species  has  been  found  attached  to 
the  sides  or  bellies  of  whales.  These,  as  the  kinds  found 
on  ships'  bottoms,  may  live  here  or  may  not.  It  cannot 
be  told  yet  for  a  certainty.  The  objects  to  which  they 
are  attached  being  living  or  moving,  and  able  to  readily 


48  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

go  from  one  sea  to  another,  or  one  climate  to  another,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  they  lived  here  in  any 
other  situations  or  not." 

"But  are  there  no  more  than  three  or  four  kinds  of 
these  curious  animals  that  are  at  all  common  on  our 
coast  ?  "  continued  John. 

"  That  is  about  all  of  this  half  mollusk  and  half  crab." 

"  What  are  mollusks  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"  Mollusks  ?  "  said  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  Why,  they  are  the 
animals  of  one  of  the  great  classes  into  which  all  ani- 
mals of  the  animal  kingdom  are  divided.  They  are 
what  you  often  call  shell-fish,  with  a  great  many  other 
kinds  that  you  probably  never  either  saw  or  heard  of." 

"  And  are  the  crabs  mollusks  ?  "  said  Allie. 

"  No,  they  belong  to  the  old  group  of  what  we  used  to 
call  articulates." 

"  Well,  then,"  put  in  Freddie,  "  how  can  they  be  half 
mollusks  and  half  articulates  ?  Do  they  connect  the  two 
groups,  or  are  there  others  like  them  that  make  another 
group,  as  you  call  it  ?  " 

"  Now  you  are  getting  into  the  fine  points,"  laughed 
Mr.  Jacobs.  "  You  would  have  your  hands  full  if  you 
should  attempt  to  follow  the  matter  out :  for  the  present 
it  is  enough  to  know  that  the  barnacle  belongs  to  the 
class  of  the  cirripedia,  which  is  a  division  of  the  articu- 
lates ;  thus  the  animals  come  nearer  to  the  crabs,  of 
which  they  are  really  a  relation,  than  to  the  mollusks." 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  exclaimed  John,  "  why  can't  we  under- 
stand all  about  these  things  now ! " 

"  You  are  not  the  only  person  who  has  ever  made  a 
similar  wish  ;  but  let  us  put  these  two  fine  bunches  into 
one  of  the  jars." 

Mr.  Jacobs  then  took  a  small  piece  of  cloth,  placed  the 


ARRIVAL  AT  HALIFAX.  49 

bunches  carefully  in  it,  wrote  a  label  upon  one  of  the 
pieces  of  parchment,  which  he  inclosed  in  the  package 
also,  and  carefully  did  the  package  up  and  tied  it  with 
a  piece  of  the  red  string.  Then  he  fastened  a  small 
tag  to  the  outside  of  the  parcel,  and  placing  a  number 
upon  it,  dropped  it  into  one  of  the  two-quart  jars.  Then 
he  took  a  small  note  book,  that  one  of  the  boys  pro- 
cured from  his  trunk,  and  copied  the  number  and  label 
into  it. 

Having  shown  the  boys  how  to  work,  Mr.  Jacobs  now 
left  them  to  attend  to  some  work  of  his  own.  The  boys 
then  proceeded  to  arrange  the  specimens  that  they  had 
caught  into  similar  bundles,  all  of  which  were  done  up 
carefully,  and  labeled  fully,  before  being  thrown  into  the 
alcohol.  Having  found  something  to  occupy  their  atten- 
tion, all  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  was  occupied  in  a  way 
similar  to  that  of  the  morning.  Tubful  after  tubful  of 
seaweed  was  taken  and  examined.  Several  large  schools 
of  very  small  fishes,  which  Mr.  Jacobs  told  them  were  of 
the  genus  called  stickleback,  were  found,  and  quite  a 
number  of  other  interesting  things  were  taken.  One 
jar  was  devoted  to  the  small  and  curious  seaweeds 
which  came  into  the  net,  many  of  which  were  exceedingly 
delicate,  and  of  these  there  seemed  to  be  a  number  of  dis- 
tinct varieties.  All  were  carefully  preserved. 

By  night  the  boys  had  three  two-quart  jars  full  to  the 
very  top  of  fishes,  shells,  and  a  large  assortment  of  vari- 
ous sea  animals.  These  they  intended  to  take  home  and 
assort,  and  study  at  their  leisure.  John  was  especially 
interested  in  the  large  numbers  of  fleas  and  water  lice, 
with  a  few  worms  that  had  been  found.  In  fact,  the 
whole  find  was  in  every  respect  satisfactory  to  all  parties, 
and  Mr.  Jacobs  praised  the  boys  highly  for  their  indus- 


50  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

try,  and  the  boys  were  themselves  no  less  pleased  at  the 
results  of  their  work. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Jacobs,"  said  Allie,  "  I  think  it  is  really  too 
bad  that  you  cannot  live  with  us  all  the  time,  and  teach 
us  about  these  things.  Father  is  awful  rich,  you  know, 
and  we  could  go  where  we  liked  and  do  whatever  you 
said,  and  have  things  fixed  up  to  suit  us,  and,  oh !  how 
pleasant  it  would  be." 

Mr.  Jacobs  looked  at  the  boy  for  a  moment,  and  smiled 
sadly  as  he  turned  away,  only  to  encounter  Mr.  Benton's 
eyes,  who  had  been  standing  near  him,  unperceived,  and 
had  heard  the  whole  of  his  son's  remark. 

"  Smart  boys,  Mr.  Jacobs !  "  said  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Yes,  sir !     They  are  young  yet,  sir ! " 

Mr.  Benton  appeared  not  to  notice  the  remark,  for  he 
turned,  a  moment  after,  and  retired  to  the  cabin. 

As  it  was  now  getting  dark,  the  boys  put  away 
their  things,  and  shut  and  locked  their  box  for  the 
night. 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED   COMMOTION.       51 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOW   A    REVOLVER    CAUSED    IMMENSE    COMMOTION. 

r  I  TEN  days  out.  The  North  Star  lay  almost  motionless 
-*-  upon  the  bosom  of  a  mirrored  patch  of  water  in  the 
center  of  the  mighty  and  usually  tempestuous  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence. 

But  to  our  story. 

Among  the  crew  of  the  North  Star  was  a  small  cabin 
boy.  He  was  a  greenhorn,  having  been  taken  on  board 
for  the  first  time,  on  the  beginning  of  this  trip.  He  was 
familiarly  called  Tod,  though  his  real  name  was  no  other 
than  Thomas  Thompson.  How  either  the  first  or  the 
last  part  of  his  name,  or  both  together,  in  any  way  were 
converted  into  Tod,  is  a  mystery.  Possibly  he  was  fond 
of  the  article  for  which  Tod  might  be  an  abbreviation ; 
possibly  it  might  have  been  a  contraction  of  toad,  —  for 
he  certainly  was  as  ugly-looking  as  one  of  those  animals. 
However  it  came  about,  this  young,  green,  awkward, 
homely,  uncertain,  if  not  positively  disagreeable  and  dis- 
honest individual,  had  been  taken  on  board  to  assist  the 
cook.  Max  had  become  disgusted  with  him  the  first  day 
out,  and  he  had  been  consigned  to  the  forecastle  to  do 
sailor's  duty  as  a  green  hand. 

It  did  not  seem  to  make  the  slightest  difference  with 
Tod  as  to  what  people  said  to  him  or  did  with  him.  He 
was  the  same  ugly,  uncomfortable  looking  darky  that  he 
appeared  the  first  hour  he  came  aboard.  He  was  always 


52  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

about  and  in  everybody's  way,  or  he  sulked,  and  remained 
hidden  in  the  forecastle  among  the  boxes  and  barrels  for 
days  at  a  time.  No  one  seemed  to  have  any  influence 
with  him,  and  even  the  captain  and  crew  let  him  as  thor- 
oughly alone  as  it  was  in  their  power  to  do. 

Tod  was,  in  fact,  as  thorough  a  young  imp  of  darkness 
as  it  was  possible  to  make  one ;  yet,  strange  to  say.  Tod 
could  be  as  pleasant  and  agreeable  —  nay,  affable  —  as  he 
could  be  disagreeable  and  ugly. 

One  morning,  quite  early,  all  hands  were  below  asleep, 
and  the  captain  himself  had  the  wheel.  While  his  back 
was  turned  for  a  moment,  looking  at  the  log,  which  he 
had  just  hauled  in,  he  heard  a  step,  then  a  sound  of  some 
one  running  or  walking  fast  yet  cautiously  behind  him. 
As  he  turned  he  caught  sight  of  Tod  just  retreating  be- 
hind the  galley. 

"  Here,  you  young  black  sculpin,  what  are  you  doing  ? 
Where  have  you  been  ?  " 

Tod  was  by  this  time  so  far  away  that  he  either  had 
not  heard  the  captain  call  to  him,  or,  if  he  did,  had,  for 
motives  of  his  own,  deemed  it  best  to  get  out  of  the  way 
as  quickly  as  possible.  It  was,  however,  true  that  a  mo- 
ment after  the  captain  had  called  him  Tod  had  disap- 
peared, and  in  another  moment  both  Tod  and  the  circum- 
stance of  his  curious  appearance  and  disappearance  had 
passed  from  his  mind. 

An  hour  later  and  Fred  and  Allie  were  leaning  over 
the  bow  of  the  vessel  watching  the  motionless  water,  and 
the  boundless  glassy  surface  of  the  sea  that  spread  in 
every  direction. 

Suddenly,  — 

"  Good  morning,  boys." 

Both  boys    turned    instantly,   and    encountered    the 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.      53 

round,  good-humored  face  of  Mr.  Murphy,  with  his  ever- 
present  meerschaum  in  his  mouth,  intently  watching 
them. 

"  Good  morning,  sir !  "  exclaimed  Allie.  "  We  were 
watching  the  water.  I  think  it  is  perfectly  grand. 
How  I  wish  that  Eva  and  May  could  be  here  and  see 
it!" 

"  And  mamma,  too,"  chimed  in  Freddie. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  mamma  and  all ;  how  they  would  enjoy 
it,  sir ! "  said  Allie. 

"  Indeed  they  would,  my  boys.  You  must  write  them 
all  about  it,  and  send  the  letters  at  Halifax." 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,  we  mean  to.  John  is  writing  a  journal 
for  mamma,  Allie  for  May,  and  I  am  writing  for  Eva." 

"  Yes !  and  Mr.  Murphy,  the  best  of  it  all  is  that 
neither  of  us  are  going  to  tell  the  other  what  he  is  writ- 
ing about,  so  that  they  will  all  be  different.  Won't  that 
be  fine  ?  " 

"  A  capital  plan,  boys ;  whose  idea  was  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  was  Eva's,"  said  Freddie.  "  She  made  us 
promise  to  do  it  before  we  came  away.  John  and  Allie 
have  their  journal  all  written  up,  but  I  haven't  had  time 
to  touch  mine  yet;  but  I  guess  I'll  make  it  up,  some- 
how." 

Freddie  gave  a  deep  sigh,  as  he  said  this,  as  though 
the  idea  was  almost  too  much  for  him. 

Mr.  Murphy  smiled  as  he  turned  and  began  to  pace 
the  deck,  at  the  same  moment  Mr.  Benton's  head,  then 
his  shoulders,  and  finally  his  full  form,  appeared  above 
the  companion-way.  Mr.  Benton  allowed  his  eyes  to 
roam  over  the  scene  about  him,  and,  meeting  everywhere 
with  boundless  sea,  fixed  them  upon  Mr.  Murphy.  For 
a  moment  a  scowl  clouded  Mr.  Benton's  brow,  then,  as 


54  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

if  the  situation  gleamed  upon  his  troubled  senses,  he 
exclaimed : 

"H'm-m-m,  ah  —  a — a,  good  day,  sir,  good  day,  sir! 
fine  morning,  fine  morning." 

"  Ah !  good  morning,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Murphy.  "  I  hope 
you  rested  well  last  night,  sir." 

"As  well  as  could  be  expected,  under  the  circum- 
stances, sir,"  replied  Mr.  Benton,  "though  I  did  not 
get  to  sleep  for  some  time,  sir,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  light  in  the  cabin  was  kept  burning  until  the  most 
outrageous  hour  of  several  minutes  after  ten  o'clock, 
sir." 

This  was  a  home  thrust  at  Mr.  Murphy,  who  had  sat 
up  until  nearly  half-past  ten  o'clock,  reading  Cooper's 
"  Red  Rover,"  when  Mr.  Ready  had  said  that  the  lights 
must  be  out  at  ten  o'clock. 

Both  gentlemen  scowled  at  each  other  ominously,  for 
a  moment.  What  the  result  might  have  been  no  one 
could  have  told,  had  not  Max's  cherry  voice  ended  all 
seeming  hostility,  for  the  present,  at  least,  by  its : 

"  Breakfast,  gentlemens  !  all  ready." 

After  the  others  had  all  finished,  Max  himself  sat 
down  to  a  large  plateful  of  beefsteak,  which  he  finished 
in  grand  style.  Then,  while  the  crew  were  eating  in  the 
forecastle,  he  took  out  his  pipe  and  prepared  for  a  smoke. 
Jack  Ready  came  along  just  then,  and  broke  in : 

"  Having  a  breathing  spell,  cook  ?  " 

"Yes!  I  must  take  a  few  minutes  as  well  as  you. 
You  have  your  time  all  the  time.  I  must  have  mine 
some  of  the  time.  I  can't  work  always." 

"  You  do  more  work  than  any  of  the  rest  of  us." 

"  I  guess  I  do  as  much  as  any  of  you ! " 

Just  at  that  moment  voices  were  heard  in  loud  alter- 


HOW  A  REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.      55 

cation,  and  Allie  Benton  was  seen  to  step  forward  and 
point  at  Jack  Ready. 

"  He's  the  one  that  took  it.  I  saw  him  in  your  state- 
room, this  morning,  when  there  was  no  one  in  the  cabin 
but  me,  and  when  he  heard  me  make  a  noise  in  my  room 
he  hurried  off  and  went  on  deck." 

Hearing  the  noise,  both  Jack  and  the  cook  came  out 
of  the  galley  to  see  what  it  was  all  about.  As  Jack  ap- 
peared, Allie  stepped  up  to  him  and  said  : 

"  See  here,  Jack  Ready,  you  give  my  brother  Freddie 
back  his  revolver." 

Jack  looked  wicked  for  a  minute,  and  was  about  to 
make  an  angry  reply,  but,  seeing  his  father  coming  along, 
he  simply  said : 

"I  haven't  got  Fred's  revolver.  I  did  not  know  he 
had  one." 

"  Yes  you  did,  and  you  took  it ;  you  just  give  it  back," 
returned  Allie,  now  flushed. 

"  I  tell  you  I  haven't  got  it.    I  didn't  know  he  had  one." 

"What  were  you  doing  in  Fred's  stateroom  this 
morning  ?  " 

"I  wasn't  in  Fred's  stateroom  this  morning." 

"  I  thought  you  would  deny  it.  I  was  in  my  room  and 
there  was  no  one  else  in  the  cabin,  and  you  came  down. 
Then  you  stood  in  this  room  for  a  moment  and  finally 
went  into  Fred's  room,  and  I  heard  you  in  there  turning 
things  around  and  stepping  around,  as  if  you  were  look- 
ing at  the  things  in  there.  Just  then  I  coughed,  and 
you  put  something  you  had  in  your  hand  down  in  a  hurry 
and  stepped  out  softly  and  then  went  up  the  stairs  on 
deck.  A  few  moments  afterward,  Freddie  came  down 
for  his  revolver,  that  he  had  left,  right  out  in  plain  sight, 
on'his  shelf,  and  he  couldn't  find  it.  He  looked  every- 


56  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

where,  but  it  was  gone.  Now,  you  must  have  taken 
it." 

"  I  say  I  didn't  take  it.  I  did  go  into  the  cabin  this 
morning,  but  I  didn't  go  into  anybody's  room.  I  was  in 
the  wash-room." 

"I  don't  believe  it." 

"What's  the  trouble,  boys?  What's  the  trouble?" 
said  Mr.  Ready,  who  just  then  came  up  to  the  crowd. 

"  He's  accused  me  of  stealing,  father,"  said  Jack,  point- 
ing to  Allie  Benton. 

"  Accused  you  of  stealing,  my  boy  ?  Well,  /  never 
knew  you  to  steal  so  much  as  a  penny,  for  seventeen  years ; 
I  believe  you  are  seventeen  years  old  next  Friday." 

"He  says  that  I  stole  his  brother  Fred's  revolver." 

"  And  you  did,  and  you  better  give  it  back,"  said  Allie. 

"  There  !  you  hear  him,  father  ?  " 

"  Hold  on,  now ;  steady.  We'll  have  this  thing  looked 
into.  If  he  has,  he  shall  give  it  back  again  and  take  the 
consequences.  If  he  hain't  he  shan't  be  accused  unjustly. 
I  won't  say  that  I  have  before  known  persons  to  take 
things  and  lay  it  off  on  other  people,  but,"  said  Mr. 
Ready,  "  I  will  say,"  here  Mr.  Ready's  face  flushed,  "  I've 
known  such  things  to  occur." 

"Do  you  mean  to  imply  that  I'd  steal  my  brother's 
revolver,  and  then  lie  about  it,  and  lay  it  off  on  some- 
body else  ?  " 

"  Who  says  you  have  been  lying  ?  "  said  Mr.  Benton, 
who  just  then  came  along,  and  heard  only  the  last  words. 

"Nobody  has  said  so,  but  I  want  my  pistol,"  chimed 
in  Freddie,  for  the  first  time. 

"  Here  comes  Mr.  Jacobs,"  said  John,  who  had  hither- 
to stood  by,  but  said  nothing.  "Oh,  Mr.  Jacobs,  will 
you  act  as  judge  ?  " 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       57 

"  Act  as  judge  ?    What  for  ?  " 

"  Courtmartial,  Mr.  Jacobs  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Heady ; 
"we  want  a  courtmartial,  and  we  want  you  to  act  as 
judge.  We  are,  all  of  us,  thieves,  robbers,  liars,  and 
villains  ;  and  we  mean  to  institute  a  courtmartial,  and  try 
all  hands.  You  are  to  be  the  judge,  Mr.  Murphy  and 
Mr.  Furness  the  lawyers  on  either  side.  All  the  others 
are  more  or  less  interested  parties  and  shall  act  as  wit- 
nesses and  spectators." 

Mr.  Jacobs  entered  into  the  scheme  with  much  interest, 
as  did  Mr.  Murphy  and  Mr.  Furness. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  to  act  as  lawyer  for  Mr.  and  Jack 
Ready, —  as  Mr.  Benton  would  not  let  him  act  for  his 
boys ;  while  Mr.  Furness  acted  for  the  boys,  Allie  and 
Fred.  John  and  Mr.  Benton  were  spectators.  The  only 
witnesses,  outside  of  the  parties,  were  the  captain  and 
one  of  the  sailors,  who  saw  Jack  go  into  the  cabin  and 
come  out  again. 

When  everybody  was  ready,  all  hands  went  into  the 
cabin  to  prepare  for  the  trial. 

After  talking  the  matter  over,  outside  with  Mr.  Mur- 
phy and  Mr.  Furness,  Mr.  Jacobs  sat  and  pondered  for 
a  long  time.  Finally  he  spoke  : 

"  I  don't  see,  Mr.  Furness,  how  this  matter  is  coming 
out  exactly." 

"It  seems  a  curiously  mixed  up  affair,"  replied  the 
latter. 

"It  does,  indeed.  I  cannot  well  doubt  Mr.  Eeady's 
assertion  about  his  son,  and  Jack  says  so  positively,  and 
with  such  an  appearance  of  sincerity,  that  he  not  only 
did  not  take  the  revolver,  but  that  he  did  not  know  that 
any  of  the  boys  had  one,  that  it  makes,  virtually,  a  case 
of  circumstantial  evidence,  alone,  of  the  word  of  one 


58  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

against  the  word  of  the  other.  I  hardly  see  my  way 
clear,  as  to  how  to  proceed  in  the  matter." 

"  If  you  will  allow  me  a  word,  Mr.  Jacobs,"  said  Mr. 
Murphy,  who  possibly  spoke  with  a  slight  air  of  a  pos- 
sible coming  triumph  over  his  adversary  expressed  in 
his  eyes,  "  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  question  of  veracity 
between  the  two  boys,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  if,  as 
Allie  says,  he  saw  young  Eeady  in  the  cabin.  Now,  I 
do  not  wish  to  seem  too  hasty  in  a  matter  of  such  real 
importance,"  he  added  by  way  of  apology,  as  if  he  felt 
that  he  might  possibly  have  appeared  too  eager  in  the 
matter,  "but  I  must  do  the  best  for  my  client,  that  I 
can,"  he  added  in  a  half-subdued  tone,  as  if  talking  to 
himself. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  "I  shall  try  to  act  strictly 
on  the  merits  of  the  case  at  any  rate." 

Upon  this  they  descended  into  the  cabin,  and  took 
seats  with  the  rest. 

Mr.  Jacobs  then  called  all  to  order,  and  made  a  brief 
speech,  in  which  he  set  forth  the  case  as  well  as  he  was 
able,  and  ended  by  hoping  that  all  would  tell  the  whole 
truth  the  same  as  if  they  were  in  a  regular  court,  so  that 
the  innocent  might  not  suffer  for  the  guilty,  and  that,  if 
possible,  the  missing  article  might  be  found  and  restored 
to  its  owner.  The  witnesses  were  then  called. 

The  first  was  Freddie  Benton.  He  testified  to  having 
taken  the  revolver  out  of  the  bag  and,  having  cleaned  it 
nicely,  placed  it  on  the  shelf  of  his  cabin,  where  he  kept 
his  brush  and  comb,  and  a  variety  of  useful  articles, 
ready  for  use  whenever  they  might  be  wanted.  This, 
he  said,  he  had  done  the  night  before,  when  he  took  out 
his  other  articles  and  placed  them  upon  the  same  shelf. 
—  He  said  that  the  revolver  was  one  of  the  Smith  and 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.      59 

Wesson  make,  a  seven  shooter,  22  calibre,  and  about  four 
inch  barrel.  It  had  a  rosewood  handle,  and  was  painted 
blue-black.  Fred  also  said  that  when  he  got  up  in  the 
morning  he  found  the  revolver  gone. 

Mr.  Furness  then  cross-questioned  him  very  carefully, 
and  for  a  long  time,  though  very  little  new  was  brought 
out,  it  appeared  that  Mr.  Furness  had  several  ideas  in 
his  head  that,  by  the  twinkling  of  his  small  grayish 
eyes,  he  evidently  intended  to  make  use  of  later. 

Allie  Benton  was  then  called. 

He  testified  that  he  was  in  his  stateroom  about  half- 
past  six  in  the  morning,  and  that  no  one  else  was  there 
besides  him.  That  soon  after  he  had  heard  somebody 
come  down  into  the  cabin,  and,  looking  through  a  crack 
in  the  door  he  had  seen  Jack  Ready,  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  cabin  and  apparently  looking  around  him 
to  see  if  anybody  else  was  there.  A  few  moments  after- 
wards he  heard  him  rummaging  among  things  in  the 
wash-room,  and  that  he  seemed  to  be  taking  up  things 
and  putting  them  down  again.  That  he,  Allie,  had 
stifled  a  cough,  and  that  immediately  the  rattling  of 
things  stopped,  and  through  the  same  crack  he  saw  Jack 
going  up  the  companion-way.  Soon  after  that  Freddie 
had  come  down  for  his  revolver  and  could  not  find  it. 
Such  was  the  substance  of  Allie's  evidence. 

Next  the  captain  and  mate  were  called.  The  captain 
testified  that  he  had  seen  Jack  enter  the  cabin,  and  come 
out  of  it  again  with  something  in  his  hand  that  he  has- 
tened to  thrust  into  his  pocket  when  he  saw  him,  the  cap- 
tain, looking  at  him. 

But  the  worst  of  the  testimony  was  yet  to  come.  The 
mate  being  called,  said  that  that  morning  he  had  seen 
Jack  open  his  trunk  and  take  out  and  put  in  a  revolver, 


60  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

that,  as  much  as  he  could  see  of  it,  resembled  exactly 
the  description  of  the  one  said  to  have  been  taken. 

Here  was  indeed  some  important  testimony.  Every 
one  looked  aghast.  The  more  so,  as  no  cross-question- 
ing could  change  a  single  statement  of  the  mate's.  Even 
Mr.  Murphy's  twinkling  eyes  grew  solemn.  Mr.  Furness 
alone  seemed  indifferent,  but,  as  a  cool  lawyer,  seemed  to 
say,  "Very  good,  it  only  proves  my  case." 

The  defense  now  came  to  the  stand.  —  Jack  Ready 
seemed  to  understand  that  the  case  was  against  him, 
and  that  very  little  that  he  could  say  would  have 
any  effect.  He  told  his  story,  however,  in  a  confident 
way,  and  maintained  to  the  last  his  innocence.  He  said 
that  he  went  down  into  the  cabin,  and,  as  the  vessel 
rolled  somewhat,  he  stood  there  for  a  few  moments  to 
get  his  balance,  and  had  then  gone  to  the  wash-room 
for  his  father  to  see  if  he  had  left  his  hair-brush.  He 
found  the  hair-brush,  put  it  in  his  pocket,  and  returned 
it  to  his  father. 

Mr.  Ready  testified  to  the  fact  of  sending  Jack  for  the 
brush,  and  of  his  returning  with  it.  This  was  all  that 
could  be  said  for  the  defense. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  testimony  of  the  mate,  the 
case  would  have  stood  in  favor  of  Jack ;  since  the  other 
side  had  presented  nothing  but  the  circumstantial  evi- 
dence of  the  boys  and  the  captain  against  the  real  evi- 
dence of  Mr.  Ready  and  his  son. 

Now  there  was  another  side  to  the  case  that  as  yet 
had  not  appeared.  The  sharp  eyes  of  Mr.  Furness  had 
detected  what  for  a  moment  everybody  else  had  forgot- 
ten, and  a  word  from  him  caused  everybody  to  start. 

"  Mr.  Judge,"  said  Mr.  Furness,  "  the  statement  of  the 
mate,  to  my  mind,  leaves  no  room  for  hesitation  in  insti- 


HOW  A  REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       61 

tuting  a  search  warrant  for  this  revolver  in  Jack  Ready's 
trunk.  I  will  myself,  in  company  with  Mr.  Murphy, 
proceed  to  perform  this  unpleasant  duty,  if  your  judge- 
ship  shall  grant  the  required  permission." 

"  Very  good,  sir ! "  said  Mr.  Jacobs.  —  "I  appoint  Mr. 
Murphy  and  Mr.  Furness  a  committee  of  two  to  search 
Mr.  Ready's  trunk ;  and  send  Mr.  Ready  himself,  with 
them  to  assist  in  the  search.  Please  retire,  gentlemen, 
and  return  as  soon  as  you  can." 

If  a  sensation  had  been  made  by  the  statement  of  the 
mate,  a  still  greater  one  was  aroused  by  the  return  of  the 
search  party.  Mr.  Murphy  was  leading  or  rather  hold- 
ing Jack  by  the  arm,  while  Mr.  Furness,  very  sober  in- 
deed, held  in  his  hands  a  revolver  which,  upon  seeing, 
Freddie  instantly  claimed  to  be  his.  To  say  that  sur- 
prise and  amazement  was  upon  every  face,  would  be 
putting  it  mild  indeed.  —  Even  Mr.  Murphy  and  Mr. 
Ready  were  appalled.  Jack  alone  maintained  a  per- 
fectly straight-forward  countenance,  though  there  was  a 
red  spot  in  the  center  of  both  of  his  cheeks. 

"Gentlemen!"  said  Mr.  Furness,  "this  thing  has  got  to 
be  more  serious  than  was  even  for  a  moment  anticipated 
by  any  of  us,  I  believe.  Once  more  I  call  upon  Mr.  Jack 
Ready  to  explain  what  this  all  means.  A  free  and  frank 
confession  now  will  save  a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

"  I  can  only  say,  sir,  as  I  have  said  before,  I  did  not 
take  his  revolver.  I  did  not  even  know  that  he  had  one. 
The  one  you  found  in  my  trunk  is  mine.  I  brought  it 
from  home  and  have  had  it  a  long  time.  My  brother 
could  prove  what  I  say  if  he  was  here,  and  it  has  his 
initial  F.  for  Fred,  marked  with  a  pin  point  on  the 
handle." 

Sure  enough,  turning  the  revolver  over,  the  letter  F. 


62  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

appeared  scratched  on  the  nickled  piece  at  the  butt  of 
the  handle. 

"  This  is  very  strange,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs ;  "  the  strang- 
est case  that  I  ever  knew.  —  I  hope  that  some  one  of  our 
lawyers  will  be  able  to  clear  up  the  mystery." 

"  Your  honor,"  said  Mr.  Murphy,  rising,  "  I  see  that 
the  mark  on  the  butt  of  the  revolver  is  an  old  one.  I 
make  a  scratch  like  this,"  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
"and  it  leaves  a  fresh,  clean  mark;  the  letter  F.  here 
traced  is  old,  worn,  and  quite  dingy.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  made  it  this  morning,  as  its 
freshness  would  be  evidence.  As  you  will  all  admit, 
this  is  a  point  in  our  favor.  You  will  also  see  that  the 
handle  of  this  revolver  is  rubbed  and  worn,  as  is  also 
the  barrel,  while  the  one  lost  was  new.  —  We  also  find 
in  this  young  man's  trunk  five  boxes  of  cartridges. 
Here  is  one  of  them.  I  would  ask  my  opponent  to  pro- 
duce a  box  of  those  used  in  the  revolver  belonging  to 
young  Benton,  that  we  may  compare  them.  There  may 
be  a  difference  in  the  labels." 

Mr.  Furness  then  spoke  to  Freddie  Benton,  who  left  the 
circle,  and,  going  to  his  stateroom,  soon  returned  from 
it  with  a  box  of  cartridges  which  he  handed  to  Mr.  Fur- 
ness  who,  in  turn,  passed  it  across  the  table  to  Mr.  Mur- 
phy, who  took  it  and  for  a  few  moments  studied  the  labels 
on  each  box.  He  then  turned  to  Mr.  Jacobs  and  said : 

"Now,  sir,  I  see  by  these  labels,  as  you  all  can  see  for 
yourselves,  that  they  are  of  two  different  kinds  and  made 
by  two  different  firms.  All  of  the  boxes  in  Mr.  Ready's 
trunk  are  of  the  same  kind  as  the  one  I  hold  in  my  hand, 
and  young  Benton  can  tell  us  how  many  boxes  of  car- 
tridges he  brought  with  him,  and  if  they  were  all  of  the 
kind  he  handed  us,  and  that  I  hold  in  my  hand." 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       63 

"  You  can  answer  this  question,  Freddie,  if  you  will," 
said  Mr.  Furness. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir ! "  exclaimed  Freddie.  "  They  were  all 
the  same,  and  we  brought  down  twenty  boxes." 

A  smile  went  around  the  group,  at  this  burst  of  youth- 
ful enthusiasm,  but  it  calmed  down  the  next  minute  as 
Mr.  Murphy  continued : 

"You  will  then  see,  for  my  second  point,  that  there 
may  be  two  revolvers  on  board,  as  there  are  two  kinds, 
and  two  separate  packs,  of  cartridges.  My  client  has  a 
set  of  cartridges  of  his  own,  distinct  from  those  of  his 
accuser;  and  why  may  he  not  have  a  revolver  of  his 
own,  also  ?  I  think,  for  my  first  point,  I  have  shown, 
without  any  doubt,  that  he  has,  and  that  this,  as  he  says, 
and  as  I  have  shown,  is,  in  reality,  what  he  has  said  it 
was,  his  own  private  property.  It  is  clear,  then,  that 
the  lost  revolver  has  not  been  found.~  What  has  my 
brother,  Mr.  Furness,  to  say  on  his  side  ?  " 

"  Gentlemen ! "  said  Mr.  Furness,  "  though  we  have 
settled  one  point,  is  not  our  evidence,  circumstantial 
though  it  be,  still  stronger  against  the  prisoner?  We 
may  say  that  this  is  his  own  property,  but  can  we  let 
him  off  from  the  whole  charge  simply  upon  this  lack  of 
evidence  ?  We  cannot  say  that  he  took  the  revolver,  nor 
can  we  tell  the  motive  that  might  have  induced  him, 
even  having  one  of  his  own,  so  very  similar,  to  possess 
another  one  ;  yet  will  the  facts  just  presented  justify  us 
in  clearing  him  entirely  of  such  a  charge,  with  such 
strong  circumstantial  evidence  against  him  ?  I  think 
not,  sir;  and  shall  ask  for  time  for  still  further  inquiry 
into  this  matter." 

After  Mr.  Furness  had  spoken,  Mr.  Jacobs  arose,  and 
said :  "  Gentlemen,  I  thank  the  brothers  for  their  care- 


64  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

ful  conduct  of  this,  I  confess,  very  trying  and  curious 
case.  In  all  my  connection  with  the  courts,  —  which 
has  been  but  very  little,  by  the  way  "  —  here  the  judge 
smiled  somewhat  at  the  assembled  people  —  "I  have  not 
met  with  such  a  strange  assembly  of  facts  and  ap- 
parent, if  not  real,  contradictions.  I  confess  myself 
incompetent  to  rightly  decide  upon  a  question  that  has 
developed  so  many  really  personal  points.  It  seems 
clear  to  my  mind  that  as  yet  we  are  not  upon  the  right 
scent,  so  to  speak,  and  that  we  have  not  found  the  true 
solution  to  this  most  puzzling  question  yet.  Since  you 
have  decided  unanimously  to  leave  the  decision  of  this 
matter  with  me,  and  agreed  to  abide  by  my  decision,  I 
will  decide  this  :  Mr.  Eeady  has  been  found  to  possess  a 
revolver  which  Master  Freddie  Benton  claimed  to  be  his. 
The  evidence  proves  conclusively  that  the  weapon  is  the 
private  and  exclusive  property  of  Mr.  Jack  Eeady,  and 
not  the  missing  article  of  Master  Freddie,  whose  youth- 
ful enthusiasm  has,  in  this  case,  evidently,  carried  him 
too  far.  I  will,  therefore,  declare  Mr.  Jack  Heady  as 
'  not  guilty '  in  this  particular  direction." 

A  loud  sound  of  applause,  from  both  sides,  told  that 
they  were  equally  satisfied  with  the  verdict  rendered. 
After  quiet  was  resumed,  Mr.  Jacobs  continued : 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  me  that  Mr.  Jack  Ready  has 
perfectly  vindicated  himself  until  the  revolver  has  been 
found.  I  do  not  believe  that,  in  reality,  anybody,  after 
this,  is  willing  to  believe  him  wilfully  guilty  of  theft, 
with  concealment.  We  will,  therefore,  let  the  whole 
affair  drop,  simply  urging  everybody,  and  especially 
Jack  himself,  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  find  and  restore 
the  missing  article.  Everybody,  even  Mr.  Jack  himself, 
will  see  that  he  must  of  necessity  rest  under  a  certain 


HOW  A  REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       65 

cloud,  even  with  this  vindication  of  his  character,  until 
the  lost  revolver  is  returned.  Thus  deciding  the  case,  I 
do  herewith  adjourn  this  court." 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  judge,"  shouted  Allie,  stepping 
forward. 

They  were  given  with  a  will. 

"Now,  Jack,"  said  Allie,  stepping  up  to  Jack,  who 
had  remained  in  the  corner  for  the  last  hour  in  perfect 
silence,  "forgive  me,  for  saying  what  I  did,  for  I  now 
do  not  believe  you  took  it ;  do  we,  Freddie  ? 

"No,  Jack;  we  do  not,"  responded  Freddie,  "and  I 
move  that  we  take  a  vote."  Freddie  then  raised  his 
voice  and  exclaimed  loudly :  "  All  those  who  really  be- 
lieve Jack  Ready  guilty  of  taking  my  revolver  please 
raise  their  hands ! "  Silence  ensued  for  a  moment,  dur- 
ing which,  time  not  a  hand  was  raised.  "  All  those  who 
believe  him  not  guilty  please  raise  their  hands."  Every 
hand  went  up  in  a  moment,  and  the  boys  themselves 
even  raised  both  their  hands. 

"  Is  there  anybody  opposed  to  an  unanimous  vote  ?  " 
said  Mr.  Eeady. 

"  No !  No ! "  came  from  all  hands. 

At  this  moment  Jack  stepped  up,  and  said,  "  I  thank 
you  all  very  much  for  the  good  opinion  of  me.  I  did 
not  take  the  revolver,  and  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to 
discover  where  the  article  is." 

Mr.  Murphy,  at  this,  went  right  up  to  Jack,  and  fairly 
hugged  him,  from  mere  joy.  Jack  needed  all  the  sym- 
pathy he  could  get.  The  two  red  spots  had  spread  them- 
selves all  over  his  face,  and  one  could  see  that  he  had 
been  crying,  during  the  time  that  he  had  been  waiting 
in  the  corner  for  the  result  of  the  trial. 

At  this  moment  a  clear,  pleasant,  youthful  voice,  that 


66  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

everybody  recognized  at  once  as  that  of  Freddie  Ben- 
ton's,  was  heard  on  the  deck,  singing : 

"  The  sun  will  be  shining  to-morrow, 
Although  it  be  cloudy  to-day." 

It  was  an  old  song,  but  it  came  in  so  well,  and  seemed 
such  a  pleasant  ending  to  the  scenes  of  the  day,  that  the 
sunshine  seemed  already  to  have  penetrated  everybody, 
and  set  all  in  harmony  with  the  youthful  singer.  The 
smile  went  around.  It  broadened  into  a  laugh,  and  be- 
fore anybody  seemed  to  realize  it,  all  were  merry  once 
more ;  and  the  trial  was,  for  the  time  at  least,  entirely 
forgotten. 

Troubles  seldom  come  singly.  We  are  no  sooner  out 
of  one  than  we  are  into  another.  The  monotony  as  well 
as  the  pleasures  of  life  are  constantly  interrupted  by 
events  which  cause  us  more  or  less  trouble.  The  dwell- 
ers in  the  North  Star,  thus  happily  relieved  from  one 
trouble,  had  little  time  in  which  to  congratulate  them- 
selves, before  a  new  and  unexpected  interruption  threat- 
ened to  disturb  the  harmony  of  the  scene. 

In  the  midst  of  the  quiet  succeeding  the  events  just 
recorded,  those  on  deck  were  suddenly  alarmed  by  a 
sound  resembling  that  of  a  gun,  apparently  issuing  from 
the  hold  of  the  vessel,  and  beneath  the  feet  of  those  who 
were  on  deck.  A  moment  later,  and  a  small  black  form 
was  seen  issuing  from  the  forecastle,  shouting  at  the  top 
of  its  voice,  and  wildly  gesticulating  as  it  reached  the 
main  deck  of  the  vessel.  It  was  no  other  than  the  form 
of  Tod. 

When  Tod  reached  the  deck,  he  stood  still  for  a 
moment,  gazing  about  him  vacantly;  but  only  for  a 
moment.  Then,  as  if  gathering  himself  together,  he 


A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       67 

made  one  frantic  plunge,  and  landed  in  a  heap  in  the 
corner  between  the  galley,  the  foremast,  and  the  traveler 
of  the  fore  staysail.  At  the  same  time  he  threw  up  both 
of  his  hands  and  began  to  scream  in  a  most  lusty  man- 
ner. 

A  black  man  or  boy  can,  at  any  time,  use  his  voice 
with  the  power  of  several  ordinary  white  men  of  his 
own  size.  Tod  proved,  on  this  particular  occasion,  no 
exception  to  this  rule.  Scream  followed  scream  in  quick 
succession. 

Max,  the  cook,  was  the  first  upon  the  scene,  and  Mr. 
Ready — ever  ready,  as  his  name  implied  —  was  second 
to  him. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  crie'd  Mr.  Ready. 

"What's  the  matter  now  ?  "  chimed  in  Max. 

No  response ;  while  a  pair  of  black  hands  beat  wildly 
the  air ;  while  the  darky  himself  made  no  attempt  either 
to  arise  or  to  leave  off  his  cries. 

The  cook  and  Mr.  Eeady  easily  picked  Tod  up,  and 
after  some  difficulty,  got  him  to  sit  upon  one  of  the 
stools,  of  which  a  number  were  lying  about  the  deck.  It 
was  then,  only,  that  they  perceived  that  his  left  hand 
was  covered  with  blood,  and  that  the  forefinger  had  been 
cut  or  shot  off,  near  the  palm  of  the  hand,  and  was 
hanging  by  a  mere  thread  to  its  socket,  while  blood  was 
pouring  down  everywhere  on  his  shirt  and  trowsers. 

Max  rushed  off  immediately  for  a  basin  of  water; 
Jack  Ready  was  dispatched  for  a  sponge,  and  some  rags 
for  bandages,  from  Mr.  Ready's  trunk;  and  Mr.  Jacobs 
hastened  for  a  box  of  salve  with  which  to  dress  the 
wound. 

These  were  all  brought,  and  the  nimble  fingers  of  Mr. 
Jacobs  were  soon  at  work  washing  the  wound. 


68  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

After  all  the  blood  had  been  removed  from  Tod's  face 
and  hands,  and  the  finger  itself  attended  to,  Mr.  Jacobs 
replaced  the  finger,  which  was  not  so  badly  cut  into  as  it 
had  at  first  appeared,  and  sewed  it  on  again  with  a  few 
stitches  from  a  needle  and  thread,  that  had  been  pre- 
pared and  handed  him  by  Mr.  Ready,  and  the  wound 
covered  over  with  the  salve.  Then  he  wound  a  rag  care- 
fully over  the  finger,  taking  care  to  place  some  lint  over 
the  salve,  and  secured  the  cloth  by  winding  it  over  the 
hand  and  around  the  wrist. 

Tod  had  cried  pitifully  most  of  the  time  that  the 
operation  was  being  performed.  He  had  howled  at  first ; 
but,  finding  himself  —  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  per- 
haps —  in  the  hands  of  men  and  gently  instead  of  rudely 
handled,  he  had  quieted  down  amazingly  under  the 
skillful  treatment  and  soothing  influence  of  his  acting 
physician  —  Mr.  Jacobs. 

After  the  howling  had  finished,  the  crying  had  in  a 
measure  ceased,  and  the  hand  bandaged  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  both  parties,  Tod  was  brought  forward  and 
placed  in  one  of  the  easy  chairs  belonging  to  some  of 
the  parties,  when  he  was  cautioned  to  stay  still,  and  not 
to  use  or  even  stir  his  hand  under  any  emergency  what- 
ever. In  order  to  make  the  charge  still  more  effective, 
to  the  great  surprise  of  Tod  himself,  as  well  as  every- 
body else,  Mr.  Ready  was  soon  seen  making  his  way 
from  the  galley,  with  a  huge  piece  of  bread  and  butter, 
with  a  slight  tinge  of  molasses  upon  it,  straight  for  him. 

Tod's  eyes  widened  perceptibly  as  he  saw  the  feast 
approaching.  At  first  he  evidently  doubted  his  senses, 
which  told  him  that  it  was  for  him,  and  Mr.  Ready  had 
to  repeat,  rather  testily  it  seemed,  for  the  third  time, 
"Come,  take  it,  won't  you  ?  hurry  up." 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       69 

Whether  it  was  the  somewhat  rough  tone,  which  had 
in  it  the  sort  of  a  command  that  he  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  hearing  used  to  him,  that  started  Tod,  or 
whether  it  was  the  tempting  bait  that  was  too  much  for 
him  to  longer  withstand,  is  hard  to  tell;  but  with  a 
grand,  convulsive  clutch,  Tod  seized  the  slice,  and,  pres- 
ently, all  else  was  oblivion  to  him. 

The  next  thing  to  do,  after  seeing  the  finger  attended 
to,  was  to  find  out  the  particulars  of  this  strange  occur- 
rence. 

Mr.  Keady  and  Mr.  Jacobs  descended  into  the  fore- 
castle and  made  a  careful  examination  there  of  every 
part  of  the  hold,  but  could  find  nothing  there  save  smoke, 
but  there  was  plenty  of  that. 

Through  the  confined  nature  of  the  hold,  the  smoke 
was  retained  a  much  longer  time  than  it  would  other- 
wise have  been.  None  of  the  crew  had  been  in  the  fore- 
castle at  the  time  of  the  explosion  or  firing,  whichever  it 
were  best  to  call  it,  and  therefore  no  one  could  explain 
fully  the  affair,  but  Tod  himself. 

Coining  on  deck  again  Mr.  Ready  and  Jack  took  off  the 
hatch,  and  immediately  a  dense  volume  of  smoke  issued 
from  below. 

The  thought  that  there  must  be  fire  in  the  hold  again 
sent  down  Mr.  Ready,  who,  with  Jack,  carefully  exam- 
ined every  nook  and  corner,  but  could  find  nothing  but 
smoke,  apparently  from  some  pistol  or  gun. 

Coming  on  deck  again  Mr.  Ready  approached  Tod,  and 
said,  as  gently  as  he  could : 

"  Well,  my  boy,  what  were  you  doing  ?  How  did  it 
all  happen  ?  Tell  me  all  about  it ! " 

Tod,  seeing  Mr.  Ready  approach,  had  begun  a  most 
comical  mixture  of  a  howl  and  a  cry.  In  moving  he  had 


70  ,  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

given  his  hand  a  hit  upon  the  arm  of  the  chair,  that  had 
produced  the  latter ;  while  the  sight  of  a  huge  billet  of 
wood,  that  Mr.  Ready  held  unconsciously  in  his  hand, 
and  which  he  had  taken  up  with  the  intention  of  passing 
to  the  cook,  had  induced  the  former. 

Quiet  having  been  restored,  the  question  was  again 
put. 

"  Tell  us  now,  my  boy,  how  it  all  happened." 

The  only  answer  was  a  blank  silence,  while  the  eyes 
of  the  boy  were  lowered,  and  his  face  seemed  to  express 
an  ominous  sulk :  ominous  in  that  it  foreboded  ill  as  to  a 
satisfactory  answer  to  the  question,  now  of  so  much  im- 
portance. 

"  Come !  can't  you  tell  me  how  you  hurt  yourself  ?  " 

Still  no  answer. 

"  Mr.  Ready,"  cried  the  cook,  "  where's  my  wood  ?  " 

"  Oh,  here  it  is ; "  and  Mr.  Ready  turned  and  started 
for  the  galley,  to  hand  Max  the  wood. 

"I  don't  see  how  this  thing  happened,"  said  Mr. 
Ready  to  Max.  "  I  can't  get  a  word  out  of  the  boy." 

"You  leave  him  to  me,  now,"  said  Max,  laughing. 
"  You  leave  him  to  me ;  and  when  I  tell  him  that  he  can 
have  no  supper  till  he  tells  me  all  about  it,  you  will  see 
what  you  will  see ; "  and  Max  fairly  held  himself  as  he 
laughed  at  the  idea.  "  I  always  brings  them  around  that 
way,  if  I  can't  any  other."  Max  added. 

Mr.  Ready  laughed  at  this,  and  said : 

"Well,  take  your  own  way,  I  can't  do  anything  with 
him," 

Thus  Tod  was  left  to  himself  for  several  hours.  Every 
one  marveled  why  he  kept  his  place  for  so  long  a  time, 
but  there  he  remained,  no  one  taking  apparently  any 
notice  of  him,  and  he  of  no  one.  The  cook,  alone, 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION.       71 

laughed  to  himself.  For  once  this  small  black  boy, 
Master  Tod,  had  met  with  his  master.  The  cook  had 
very  quietly  lashed  him  into  his  chair  while  he  was 
asleep. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  cook,  "  for  once,  my  duck,  I  have  you, 
this  time,  at  least." 

About  two  hours  afterwards,  while  all  hands  were  in 
the  cabin,  a  renewed  series  of  cries  were  heard,  and  Mr. 
Eeady,  as  usual,  rushed  on  deck  to  see  what  was  up. 

Tod  had  awakened  to  find  himself  fast,  bound  in  a 
chair,  with  dark  clouds  above  him,  and  supperless.  No 
wonder  that  he  howled.  That  was  just  what  Max 
wanted,  and,  hearing  the  alarm,  he  was  soon  on  deck. 

"  Ah,  my  fine  bird,"  said  Max,  "  I  have  you  at  last. 
All  belayed,  taut  and  hearty.  I  have  you  where  the 
squirrel  had  the  nut  —  right  in  the  feeth.  I  have  you 
where  the  mouse  had  the  cheese  —  right  in  the  stomach. 
We  will  now  see  if  the  squirrel  cracks  the  nut  or  the 
cheese  makes  the  mouse  sick." 

With  this  soliloquy  Max  approached  Tod. 

"  Well,  my  fine  fellow,  do  you  want  your  supper  ?  " 

On  seeing  Max  approach,  Tod  had  stopped  the  noise  he 
had  been  making,  but,  on  hearing  the  question,  he  began 
howling  and  struggling  again. 

"  You'll  not  get  any  that  way,  sir.  Now  see !  Keep 
quiet !  It  is  for  your  own  good  that  we  have  done  this. 
If  you  are  not  careful  you  will  hit  your  finger,  and  then 
you  will  be  obliged  to  have  it,  and  maybe  your  whole 
hand,  cut  off.  How  would  you  like  that  ?  Hey  ?  " 

No  answer  followed  this  plain  talk. 

"  Now  I  tell  you,"  said  Max,  "  you  are  old  enough  to 
know  that  you  must  keep  still  and  not  hurt  your  hand; 
do  you  know  that  ?  " 


72  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Tod,  fully  reduced  to  his  senses  by  nature  and  an 
intense  gnawing  in  his  stomach,  sulked  out  a  faint  yes. 

"Well,  now,"  continued  the  cook,  "listen:  I  will 
let  you  go,  and  will  give  you  a  good  hot  supper,  but 
you  must  give  me  answer.  How  did  you  hurt  yourself  ?  " 

Still  no  reply. 

"  Will  you  answer  my  question  ?  " 

No  response. 

"  Very  good,  you  get  no  supper  to-night,  my  lad." 

As  Max  turned  to  go,  Tod  began  to  struggle  again,  and 
to  shout  out,  "  I  want  my  supper  ! " 

"  Ah  !  my  fine  bird,  you  can  sing,  can  you  ?  " 

"  I  want  my  supper ;  let  me  go ! " 

"  But  you  cannot  fly,  because  your  wings  are  clipped, 
my  fine  plover." 

"  Ah,  Max !  hadli't  you  better  give  him  his  supper  ? 
and  then  perhaps  he  will  tell  you  afterwards." 

"  No,  sir !  I  have  him  now,  and  he  understands  it. 
When  he  tells  me  what  I  have  asked  him,  then  he  can 
have  his  supper  hot,"  said  Max. 

Max  laid  great  emphasis  on  the  word  hot ;  and  Tod, 
hearing  it,  squirmed  visibly,  as  it  had  been  intended  that 
he  should. 

"  I  want  my  supper,"  squirmed  out  Tod. 

"  You  can  have  it  when  you  tell  me  what  I  want  to 
know,"  said  Max,  "  as  I  told  you." 

Tod  watched  Max  as  he  neared  the  forecastle,  and  saw 
that  a  great  struggle  was  going  on  within  him.  He  did 
not  wish  to  tell  how  he  had  got  hurt,  for  some  reason 
known  apparently  only  to  himself ;  and  yet  he  did  not 
wish  to  lose  his  supper.  Max's  emphasis  upon  the  word 
hot  had  evidently  done  the  work,  for,  just  as  Max  placed 
his  foot  on  the  forecastle  step,  Tod  called  out : 


HOW  A   REVOLVER    CAUSED    COMMOTION-       73 

"  I'll  never  do  so  again.  I'll  give  it  back.  I  want  my 
supper." 

Max  turned  slowly,  and  seemed  to  consider  for  a  mo- 
ment just  how  to  act.  He  had  evidently  gained  a  point, 
and  how  best  to  follow  it  out  did  not  at  first  appear 
clear  to  him.  He  adopted  the  best  course,  however,  and 
so  sung  out : 

"  All  right,  my  hearty ;  your  hot  supper  is  ready  for 
you." 

While  Max  was  approaching  Tod,  the  latter  was  busy 
fumbling  in  his  pocket  with  his  whole  hand,  and  when 
quite  up  to  him,  Tod,  taking  something  out  of  his  pocket, 
handed  it  to  the  cook. 

"  I  took  it,"  said  Tod,  "  but  I'll  never  do  so  again.  It 
went  off  by  accident  and  blowed  my  finger  off." 

"I  should  think  it  did,"  said  Max.  ."It  was  a  good 
job  for  you  that  it  had  not  taken  your  hand  or  your  head 
off.  Now  come  and  get  your  supper." 

Tod,  released,  followed  the  cook  to  the  galley,  where 
Max  had  saved  a  plateful  of  hot  chowder,  and  a  hot  cup 
of  tea,  with  plenty  of  bread  and  butter.  While  Tod  was 
busy  at  this  Max  started  for  the  cabin. 

Max  entered  the  cabin.  Everybody  looked  up  to  see 
who  was  coming.  Max  came  right  up  to  the  table,  and 
then  said : 

"Gentlemen,  I  think  I  have  found  the  revolver 
that  Master  Freddie  lost  this  morning.  Isn't  this 
it  ? "  At  the  same  time  he  placed  the  revolver  on  the 
table,  telling  them  how  he  had  induced  Tod  to  give 
it  to  him. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  captain,  who  looked  into  the 
cabin  at  that  moment  from  his  wheel,  "I  saw  him  come 
out  of  the  cabin  this  morning  early,  but  had  forgotten 


74  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

all  about  it  until  just  now.  He  took  the  pistol.  I  know 
it  now." 

"  Ah !  h'm-m-m !  Mr.  Taylor,"  said  a  voice,  that  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing  as  that  of  Mr.  Benton's ; 
"  it  strikes  ine  as  very  remarkable,  the  way  that  things 
will  occasionally,  sir ;  I  say  occasionally,  turn  out,  sir. 
I  was  very  confident  that  my  boy  had  not  stolen  his  own 
brother's  revolver,  as  Mr.  Ready  almost  insinuated  this 
morning,  sir !  I  say,  sir,  this  morning." 

A  loud  burst  of  laughter  from  all  hands  quite  startled 
Mr.  Benton,  who,  turning  around,  scowled  ominously  as 
he  said  rather  crossly : 

"  I  see  nothing  to  laugh  at,  sirs,  at  the  fact  of  any- 
body's calling  my  boy  a-a-a —  " 

But  the  laughter  succeeding  drowned  the  rest  of  the 
sentence,  while  Mr.  Benton  arose,  and  said,  somewhat 
angrily : 

"  Boys,  go  to  bed !  go  to  bed,  boys !  I  shall  go  imme- 
diately ! " 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Mr.  Benton  retired. 
From  the  recesses  of  his  stateroom  he  called  faintly : 

"John!  John!  the  boys  will  retire  when  you  do,  of 
course." 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  LABRADOR.  75 


CHAPTER  V. 

FIRST    SIGHT    OF    LABRADOR. 

"  TTTKLL,  captain,  where  do  you  make  our  position  ?  " 

V  V  asked  Mr.  Benton  of  the  captain,  the  next  morn- 
ing, whom  he  suddenly  came  upon  in  the  cabin  as  he  was 
consulting  his  chart,  and  measuring  distances  on  it  with 
the  dividers. 

"We  see  land  off  to  the  westward,"  replied  the  cap- 
tain. 

"  Do  you  know  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  Mr.  Ready  thinks  that  it  is  Mecatina." 

"  I  suppose  that  he  ought  to  know.  I  believe  that  he 
has  been  down  the  coast  some  seventeen  times,  I  think 
he  told  me." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so." 

"  Well,  can  you  tell  me  who  else  knows  anything  about 
the  region  around  here  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Taylor  has  made  the  trip  four  or  five  times,  and 
Mr.  Furness  several  times.  Mr.  Taylor  knows  more 
about  it  than  anybody  else,  unless  it  is  Mr.  Furness." 

"  The  latter  gentleman  seems  to  be  quite  a  seafaring 
man." 

"  Yes ;  he  was  down  here  a  whole  year,  and  he  knows 
all  the  harbors  up  and  down  the  coast  when  once  we 
reach  '  the  Labrador.' " 

"  It  is  much  easier  to  tell  the  places  when  you  are  near 
them,  than  when  at  a  distance,  as  we  are  at  the  present 


76  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

time,"  said  Mr.  Furness,  who  just  then  joined  the  group 
and  the  conversation.  "  From  the  very  faint  line  of  coast, 
visible  in  the  distance  west  of  us,  I  imagine  that  we  are 
much  farther  down  the  coast  than  Mecatina." 

"  Then  yesterday  we  must  have  been  off  the  eastern 
point  of  Anticosti,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  who  at  this  moment 
also  joined  the  group. 

"Yes;  so  I  should  judge,"  laughed  Mr.  Keady,  com- 
ing down  the  companion-way,  at  the  same  time  scratching 
his  head  and  winking  his  eyes  at  the  group,  all  of  whom 
had  turned  at  sound  of  his  voice.  "  We  can't  tell  much 
where  we  are  till  we  get  there." 

All  hands  laughed  heartily  at  this  witty  sally,  and 
turned  their  eyes  once  more  to  the  chart. 

"Here  is  Mecatina,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  pointing  to  that 
place  on  the  chart.  "  You  see  that  there  are  two  islands, 
and  a  headland  on  shore.  The  headland  is  seven  hun- 
dred feet  high,  and  the  islands  are  called  Big  Mecatina 
and  Little  Mecatina.  Every  time  I've  been  down  here, 
before,  we  have  struck  either  this  headland  or  the  high- 
est of  the  islands.  You  are  sure  to  know  it,  because  it's 
the  highest  land  anywhere  about,-  save  the  Bradore  hills, 
and  these  are  mountains,  down  here." 

"  How  high  are  they  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Oh,  they  vary  from  eleven  to  twelve  hundred  feet. 
There  are  three  of  them." 

"  The  highest  was  laid  down  by  the  Coast  Survey  as 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet,"  said  Mr.  Furness. 

"  And  the  next  highest,  eleven  hundred  and  thirty-five 
feet,"  laughed  Mr.  Taylor,  "since  you  are  so  particular  as 
to  height." 

"And  the  intervening  stretch  of  land  reaches  to  the 
sea-level,  Mr.  Speaker,"  broke  in  Mr.  Eeady. 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  LABRADOR.  77 

Just  at  that  moment  Allie  came  into  the  cabin  to  tell 
the  captain  that  he  was  wanted,  and  the  chart  was  rolled 
up,  and  put  away  in  the  hanging  braces,  for  the  time, 
while  all  followed  the  captain  on  deck. 

"  What  a  pleasant  day  it  is,  papa,"  shouted  Freddie,  as 
he  saw  his  father  come  on  deck.  "  See,  there  is  the  loom 
of  land  over  there,  the  mate  says." 

"  Yes,  my  boy ;  and  after  our  varied  experiences,  it  is 
very  satisfactory  and  pleasing  intelligence,"  returned  his 
father. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  what  is  the  time  ?  "  said  Max,  com- 
ing forward  at  that  moment,  of  Allie,  who  was  just  com- 
ing up  the  companion-way. 

"  It  was  just  half-past  seven  o'clock  when  I  was  down 
in  the  cabin,  a  few  moments  ago." 

"Thank  you,  sir.  Gentlemen,  your  breakfast  will  be 
ready  in  about  five  minutes,"  said  Max,  as  he  disappeared 
into  the  galley. 

At  this  pleasing  intelligence  the  gentlemen  proceeded 
to  wash  and  arrange  themselves  for  that  most  important 
ceremony. 

"  How  clear  and  beautiful  the  atmosphere  is !  I  say, 
Mr.  Jacobs,  do  you  not  admire  the  fine  weather  this 
morning  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Taylor,  is  that  you  ?  " 

The  two  gentlemen  met  at  the  wash  dish,  as  they  ex- 
changed greetings,  and,  as  each  began  by  taking  off  his 
coat,  then  rolling  up  his  sleeves,  and  unbuttoning  his 
shirt  collar,  and  laying  one  side  his  hat,  a  bystander,  not 
seeing  the  wash  basin,  would  have  concluded  that  these 
warlike  preparations  portended  an  immediate  combat  of 
a  most  deadly  character. 

"  I  readily  yield  the  first  wash  to  you,"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 


78  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Yes ;  but  if  you  had  gone  ahead,  and  washed  your- 
self, you  would  have  finished  by  this  time." 

"  But  as  I  have  not  even  begun,  but  must  go  into  the 
cabin  for  my  soap,  I  shall  leave  you  and  the  wash  dish 
to  consult  each  other's  tastes  while  I  am  gone." 

"Which  we  are  in  no  way  bashful  about  doing,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Jacobs,  as  he  submerged  his  face  in  the 
basin  of  clear,  cold  water. 

Fifteen  minutes  later,  and  the  whole  party  were  ar- 
ranged in  festal  order  once  more,  waiting  impatiently  for 
the  breakfast  to  be  passed. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  as  he  sud- 
denly steamed  out  of  the  galley  door,  "  the  bill  of  fare  is 
oatmeal,  or  fried  mush  and  molasses,  ham  and  eggs,  eggs 
dropped  or  boiled,  hot  or  cold  biscuits  and  butter,  and 
coffee.  We  can't  give  you  any  more,  because  we  haven't 
got  it." 

"  I  don't  knoAv  what  we  want  any  better  than  that  —  " 

"  If  he  will  only  hurry  up  and  give  us  that ! "  chimed 
in  a  voice,  not  easily  mistaken  as  that  of  Master 
Freddie. 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  you  are  the  youngest,  and  get  helped  last," 
said  Mr.  Eeady,  "  that's  a  fact." 

The  laugh  went  around,  and  Freddie  subsided  immedi- 
ately. A  moment  iater,  and  all  were  eagerly  engaged  in 
the  process  of  eating  breakfast. 

"  What  a  beautiful  day  it  is,"  said  Mr.  Taylor  to  Mr. 
Benton,  a  little  while  after  breakfast,  as  the  two  gentle- 
men met  on  the  gangway. 

"  Very  fine  day,  sir ;  remarkable  weather.  It  is  quite 
satisfactory  to  have  such  fine  weather." 

"  Some  difference,  sir,  I  admit.  They  say  that  there  is 
the  loom  of  land  in  the  distance.  I  suppose  that  is  it," 


FIRST  SIGHT   OF  LABRADOR.  79 

said  Mr.  Benton,  pointing  to  a  heavy  cloud  bank  in  the 
south. 

Mr.  Taylor  smiled,  but  made  no  other  remark  than  that 
it  would  be  "  clearer  by  and  by." 

Mr.  Ready  was  seen,  forward,  pacing  the  deck,  and  evi- 
dently watching,  with  eagle  eye,  the  merest  outline  of 
land  to  be  seen  in  the  distance.  Seeing  Mr.  Taylor  and 
Mr.  Benton  talking,  he  joined  them. 

"  We'll  get  on  land  again,  soon,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

"  Shall  we  follow  the  coast  up  or  down,  Mr.  Ready  ?  " 

"  Oh,  down,  sir.  We  shall  probably  touch  at  Mecatina 
first,  and  then  follow  the  coast  down  as  far  as  Belle  Isle, 
Mr.  Taylor." 

"Belle  Isle  is  a  most  interesting  place  to  go  to,  Mr. 
Ready,"  said  Mr.  Benton.  "I  have  long  wished  to  go 
there,  just  to  see  the  place  —  just  to  see  the  place,  sir." 

"  One  can  tell  that  we  are  near  land  by  the  number  of 
birds,"  remarked  Mr.  Taylor. 

At  that  moment  a  large  flock  of  birds  flew  past  the  ves- 
sel. Allie,  who  happened  to  see  them,  shouted  out  at  once  : 

"  Oh,  there  they  are !  See  them  !  What  are  they  ? 
Tell  me,  somebody,  do ! " 

"  Those  are  auks,  my  boy,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

"  Oh,  no ;  those  are  not  hawks." 

"  No,  no ;  auks,  not  hawks." 

"  What  are  auks  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  They  belong  to  the  lowest  order  of  the  water  birds, 
and  are  very  rare  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe  than  in 
regions  similar  to  those  we  are  in  at  the  present,"  said 
Mr.  Jacobs. 

"  Tell  us  some  more  about  them,  said  Freddie  Benton, 
who  was  also  standing  near,  and  had  heard  what  had  been 
said. 


80  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  I  will  give  you  a  nut  to  crack,"  replied  the  professor. 
"The  true  water  birds  of  North  America  are  divided 
into  four  orders.  Of  these,  the  last  or  lowest  are  called 
the  pygopodes,  or  the  diving  birds.  The  auks  comprise 
the  lowest  family  of  the  order,  and  thus,  as  I  told  you 
before,  they  are  among  the  lowest  of  our  birds.  That  is, 
they  are  the  least  perfectly  developed.  The  wings,  as 
you  will  find,  are  shut,  and  incapable  of  long-continued 
flight;  the  tail  is  small;  and  the  legs  set  upon  the  re- 
mote part  of  the  body,  so  that  they  seldom  fly  far,  and 
live  exclusively  in  the  water,  being  unable  to  walk  on 
land.  Now  the  classes  and  families  of  birds  are  made  up 
generally  from  some  characteristic  peculiar  to  the  whole 
group.  Can  you  tell  me,  then,  why,  and  the  meaning  of 
the  name  I  have  given  you  of  pygopodes  ?  " 

"I  can  tell  you  one  name,  but  not  the  other.  The  last 
part  is  from  a  Greek  word  meaning  feet." 

"Yes,  very  good;  but  the  other  word  is  one  that 
means  situated  on  the  rear  or  rump  of  the  body,  and  is 
given  to  the  class  because  their  feet  are  situated  so  far 
on  the  hinder  part  of  the  body,  that  the  bird  can  with 
great  difficulty  walk  or  even  step  when  on  land.  But 
you  will  get  a  fair  chance  to  study  these  same  birds  later 
on,  when  you  have  shot  some  of  them,  and  can  compare 
them  and  study  their  peculiarities.  Are  not  those  the 
outlines  of  high  hills,  that  I  see  in  the  distance^  on  the 
left,  Mr.  Eeady  ?  " 

"  They  are ;  they  are  the  Mecatina  highlands  we  spoke 
of,  some  time  ago.  That  is  the  first  land  that  we  usually 
sight  on  the  Labrador  coast.  When  we  get  there  we 
know  where  we  are." 

"  Shall  we  go  anywhere  near  it,  or  shall  we  go  farther 
down  before  making  a  stopping  place  ?  " 


FIRST  SIGHT   OF  LABRADOR.  81 

"  The  good  Lord  willing,  we  shall  stop  at  the  very  first 
stopping  place  that  we  can  find." 

"  Well,  that  is  good  news,  now,  really.  One  can  really 
gain  a  great  deal  of  courage,  with  such  a  prospect  as  that 
in  view." 

"I  think,  professor,"  said  Mr.  Furness,  "that  I  shall 
go  into  a  new  line  of  investigation." 

"  Do  you,  indeed !  I  hope  that  it  is  something  inter- 
esting." 

"  I  am  going  into  the  business  of  collecting  sea-weeds. 
I'm  going  to  see  how  many  kinds  I  can  get." 

"That's  a  good  idea,  and,  if  I  remember  aright,  Mr. 
Taylor  is  a  botanist." 

Though  Mr.  Taylor  laughed  at  the  sally,  for  he  had,  in 
his  trunk  at  that  moment,  a  good-sized  tin  botany  case, 
with  a  press  of  wire  sides, — a  new  invention  by  which  it 
was  claimed  that  the  flowers  were  dried  more  easily  and 
quickly  while  being  pressed  —  and  a  large  quantity  of 
drying  paper.  He  had  come  prepared  to  make  a  large 
and  extensive  collection,  with  a  view  of  studying  care- 
fully the  flora  of  the  country. 

"  Let  us  see,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  "  we  have  in  our  party 
an  ornithologist  and  oologist,  that  is  one  who  is  making 
a  study  of  birds  and  their  eggs ;  and  algologist,  one  who 
is  making  a  study  of  algse  or  sea-weeds ;  an  ichthyologist, 
or  one  who  is  studying  fishes ;  and  several  who  are  study- 
ing sea  animals,  and  collecting  the  same.  All  those  ani- 
mals brought  up  with  the  dredge,  pass  under  the  name 
of  marine  invertebrates,  and  among  them  are  all  sorts  of 
animals,  and  a  great  variety  of  animal  life." 

"Tell  me,  Mr.  Jacobs,  why  you  call  them  inverte- 
brates," said  Allie  Benton ;  "  our  teacher  told  us  that  we 
couldn't  divide  animals  into  vertebrates  and  invertebrates, 


82  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

because  there  was  an  animal  that  was  half  one  and  half 
the  other,  and  would  have  to  be  put  into  a  division  of 
its  own  if  you  did.  He  called  the  thing  a  something 
that  meant  some  Greek  word,  and  something  about  some 
animal,  but  I  don't  remember  what  the  name  was." 

Mr.  Jacobs  smiled  as  he  assisted  Allie's  memory  with 
the  name  of  amphioxus,  and  added : 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid  that  the  divisions  you  have 
mentioned  will  become  old  and  unreliable  for  some  years. 
We  are  a  long  ways  from  developing  a  man  or  boy  an 
amoeba." 

"  What  is  an  amoeba  ?  " 

"  I  see  that  you  will  presently  have  me  involved  in  a 
discussion  as  to  'first  causes,'"  laughed  the  professor. 
"  The  amoeba  is  an  animal  of  the  lowest  or  nearly  the 
lowest  class,  and  is  simply  a  mass  of  substance,  like  that 
of  the  white  of  an  egg,  and  called  protoplasm,  containing 
a  nucleus  which  the  protoplasm  surrounds.  It  is  among 
the  first  forms  of  animal  matter,  and  is  a  most  curious 
animal  to  observe,  in  a  small  trough  of  water,  under  the 
microscope.  Now  you  must  let  me  off  on  further  expla- 
nation, as  you  are  getting  along  too  fast." 

"  Why  too  fast,  sir  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  We  teach  natural  history  differently  from  what  we 
do  the  languages  or  philosophy ;  we  study  the  animals 
themselves,  and  tell  of  the  specimens  as  we  have  them 
directly  before  us  to  illustrate  with,  as  far  as  possible ; 
but  see,  we  are  approaching  the  land." 

The  vessel  was,  indeed,  by  this  time,  fast  approaching 
the  island  towards  which  she  was  headed,  and  was  now 
about  ten  miles  away.  The  land  as  yet  appeared  only  as 
a  high  headland,  sloping  down  upon  either  side,  and 
with  other  high  lands  behind  it  and  low  islands  in  front 


FIRST  SIGHT   OF  LABRADOR.  83 

of  it.  On  dashed  the  vessel  through  the  waves,  and 
there  was  not  a  passenger  who  did  not  seem  heartily 
pleased  to  be  so  near  land,  no  matter  of  how  rocky  an 
outline. 

"  Harrington  harbor,  ahoy  ! "  shouted  Mr.  Eeady,  from 
the  other  side  of  the  galley. 

"Is  that  Harrington  harbor  that  we  see,  then,  where 
that  gap  in  the  hills  is  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Taylor,  who  was 
standing  near. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  in  a  most  emphatic 
way,  "that  is  Harrington  outer  harbor,  and  we  shall  be 
there  in  about  an  hour,  if  the  wind  holds." 

"We  will  hope,  sincerely,  that  the  wind  will  hold, 
then,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  laughing. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  added  Allie,  "  I  want  to  get  ashore  and 
find  some  of  those  auks'  and  gulls'  eggs  that  Jack  has 
been  telling  us  about." 

"  You'll  find  plenty  of  them  there,  no  fear,  my  boy," 
said  Mr.  Eeady. 

"  What  other  kinds  can  I  find  ?  Tell  me ;  tell  me  all 
the  kinds  that  will  be  there." 

"Well,  let  me  see.  There  will  be  ducks'  eggs,  eider 
ducks,  any  amount  of  them;  then  on  the  top  of  the 
island  you  will  find  two  or  three  kinds  of  gulls'  eggs." 

"What  kinds?" 

"  There  is  the  common  herring  gull,  then  there  is  a 
species  that  they  call  here  the  fresh  water  gull,  but 
which  your  book  calls,  I  believe,  the  ice  gull ;  and  there 
is  the  great  black-backed  gull.  The  largest  of  all,  and 
the  fellow  that  has  the  large  black  back  and  legs,  while 
all  the  rest  is  white  —  they  call  him  the  coffin-carrier." 

"Then  what  about  the  auks,  you  told  us  about  day 
before  yesterday  ?  "  Allie  continued. 


84  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Ready.  "  The  razor-billed  auk  is 
one  species,  and  the  other  is  called  the  foolish  guillemot. 
Another  is  called  the  black  guillemot  or  sea  pigeon,  the 
people  call  it  simply  the  pigeon,  and  you  might  see  a 
few  puffins." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  Yes ;  I  don't  think  of  any  more  that  you  are  sure  of 
getting.  You  will  probably  get  all  of  those  I  have  men- 
tioned, if  you  work  hard  for  them.  There  are  several 
islands,  near  where  we  are  going ;  and  we  are  just  in  sea- 
son to  get  some  birds'  eggs.  We  can  lay  in  a  stock  to 
eat,  too." 

"  What !  do  these  birds  you  have  been  speaking  of, 
lay  eggs  that  are  fit  to  eat  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Taylor. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "we  eat  all  of  them,  and 
they  are  first  rate,  too." 

"  Can  you  get  enough  of  them,  for  all  to  have  one  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mercy  sakes,  yes.  Why,  one  year  we  stopped 
here  and  filled  a  barrel.  We  had  them  all  the  rest  of 
the  voyage,  until  we  reached  the  Magdaline  Islands,  on 
our  way  home." 

"  Well,  do  you  think  we  can  get  a  mess  this  time  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  we  will  have  enough  to  satisfy  all  of  you, 
if  there  are  any  there,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  as  he  disap- 
peared down  the  forecastle. 

The  boys  were  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  rambling, 
unlimited,  over  the  islands,  and  coming  home  with  bas- 
kets literally  full  of  birds'  eggs,  and  great  was  the  re- 
joicing at  the  idea.  All  three  of  them  started  at  once 
for  their  box  of  apparatus  for  blowing  eggs,  so  as  to  have 
it  in  readiness,  against  the  time  when  they  should  return 
laden  with  the  expected  spoils.  John  easily  found  it  in 
one  corner  of  his  trunk,  and  soon  returned  with  several 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  LABRADOR.  85 

egg  drills  and  small  blow  pipes,  to  the  apparent  delight 
of  Freddie,  who  was  dancing  about  the  deck  like  a  young 
savage.  After  awhile  Jack  Ready  joined  them,  and  all 
four  retired  to  one  corner  of  the  vessel  to  talk  over  their 
plans. 

"  Now,  Jack,"  said  John,  "  you  have  been  here  before, 
haven't  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  wait  until  we  get  to  the  island,  and  then 
we  will  all  go  ashore,  and  you  come  with  me,  and  we  will 
see  what  we  can  get.  Have  you  got  any  stout  wire  ?  " 

"  I  can  find  a  piece,  I  guess,"  said  Freddie. 

In  a  moment  Freddie  returned  with  about  a  foot  of  stout 
iron  wire  he  had  found  in  the  cabin,  and  gave  it  to  Jack. 

"Now,"  said  Jack,  "we  will  make  something  that 
will  get  the  eggs  for  you." 

Jack  then  got  a  long  stick,  which  he  whittled  down  to 
a  roundish  shape,  then  on  one  end  he  cut  two  channels 
or  grooves,  into  which  he  inserted  the  two  ends  of  the 
wire,  bent  double.  These  he  tied  down  tightly  with  a 
piece  of  stout  twine.  Then  he  bent  the  end  of  the  wire 
into  the  form  of  a  hook. 

"There,"  said  he,  "now  you  can  hook  up  the  eggs, 
from  the  crevices,  until  you  have  as  many  as  you  want." 

"Why  do  birds  lay  in  the  crevices,  instead  of  out  in 
the  open  grass  or  sand  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"I  don't  know  that,"  said  Jack,  "but  they  do.  They 
lay  way  under  the  rocks,  and  down  in  holes  where  you 
couldn't  even  reach  them,  if  you  did  not  have  one  of 
these  instruments  that  I  have  just  fixed.  Each  bird  lays 
one  egg  only,  and  yet  you  will  sometimes  find  a  nook, 
among  the  rocks,  where  the  birds  and  the  eggs  are  as 
thick  as  if  each  bird  laid  twenty.  I  have  found  forty  to 
fifty  eggs  at  a  time  in  one  place." 


86  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Why,  are  they  as  thick  as  that  ?  "  put  in  John. 

"  Yes,  you  will  soon  get  your  baskets  full." 

"  Do  they  all  lay  in  among  the  rocks  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no ;  the  ducks  lay  right  out  among  the  grass, 
and  the  gulls  lay  the  same,  but  nearer  to  the  top  of  the 
islands.  Then  all  the  auks  lay  under  the  rocks,  and 
over  the  island  anywhere,  but  mostly  where  the  rocks 
are." 

"  Don't  they  make  any  nest  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"No,  the  auks  do  not;  they  lay  right  out  on  the 
open  earth  or  rock.  The  gulls  and  ducks  make  a  nest. 
The  gulls  pile  up  a  little  heap  of  grass  and  grass  stems 
about  the  edges  of  the  nest,  but  put  very  little  or  noth- 
ing inside  for  the  middle,  so  that  the  eggs  that  they  lay 
often  rest  on  the  bare  rock.  They  lay  four  eggs.  The 
duck's  nest  is  one  mass  of  fluffy  down.  They  pick  the 
feathers  from  their  own  breast,  to  make  the  nest  with, 
and  then  lay  about  four  eggs  and  sit  on  them.  The  eggs 
fill  up  the  hollow,  on  the  breast,  that  has  been  made  by 
pulling  the  feathers  out." 

"  But  don't  the  auks  set  on  their  eggs  ?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of.  I  never  knew  of  their  doing  so. 
Generally  they  lay  their  eggs,  and  then  let  the  sun  hatch 
them  out." 

"  And  do  they  never  set  on  their  own  eggs  ?  That 
seems  singular  enough." 

"  The  people  on  the  coast  think  that  they  don't. 
Some  people  say  that  they  do.  At  any  rate,  you  will 
see  eggs  lying  around  everywhere,  and  you  can  never 
find  a  bird  on  one  of  them.  These  auks  are  half  fish, 
anyway." 

"  Yes ;  and  there  is  a  curious  thing,"  said  Mr.  Heady, 
coming  up  at  that  moment,  "  the  people  who  won't  eat 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  LABRADOR.  87 

meat  on  Friday  will  eat  these  birds,  because  they  say 
that  they  are  more  water  than  land  animals,  and  more 
fish  than  animal." 

"  That  is  remarkable,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  who  had  just 
walked  up  to  where  the  boys  were  sitting,  to  see  what 
they  were  about. 

"Yes,"  continued  Mr.  Ready,  "and  these  same  men 
will  eat  seal  meat,  for  the  same  reason." 

"Will  they,  indeed!" 

"  Yes  ;  they  call  it  all  fish." 

"That  is  a  good  excuse  for  getting  over  the  difficulty." 

"  It  is  something  like  taking  a  nip  of  liquor  every  day 
for  medicine,  and  then  saying  that  they  have  not  broken 
their  temperance  pledge,"  laughed  Mr.  Ready. 

"I  should  say  so,"  remarked  Mr.  Benton.  "Well, 
boys,"  continued  he,  "  what  are  you  at  now  ?  " 

"  Oh,  father ;  Jack  is  telling  us  all  about  the  birds 
that  he  says  we  will  find  on  the  island,  and  we  are 
going  to  get  our  baskets  full  of  birds'  eggs,"  answered 
Freddie. 

"  Baskets  full  of  birds'  eggs  ! "  said  Mr.  Benton.  "  I'll 
give  you  a  penny  apiece  for  all  the  eggs  over  a  dozen 
that  you  find.  You'll  find  more  rocks  than  eggs." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Taylor,"  called  Allie.  "Come  here  quick, 
do." 

When  Mr.  Taylor  had  arrived,  and  heard  what  they 
were  talking  about,  he  laughed  heartily.  "  The  boys 
will  get  nearer  five  hundred  than  five,"  said  he. 

Mr.  Benton,  as  usual,  was  obstinate  in  favor  of  his 
own  opinion;  and,  taking  out  his  pocketbook,  he  care- 
fully extracted  a  crisp,  new  five  dollar  note,  which  he 
handed  to  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  There ! "   exclaimed   Mr.   Benton,   "  that   is   for  the 


88  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

boys,  in  case  they  find  the  five  hundred  eggs  you  tell 
about." 

Then  Mr.   Benton  laughed,   the  boys  clapped  their 
hands,  and  all  joined  in  the  merriment. 


FIRST  DA  Y  ON  SHORE.  89 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FIKST    DAY    ON    SHORE. 

"  ~j FERE  we  are  at  Labrador !  "  called  out  Mr.  Ready, 
-J — L  as  the  vessel  slowly  approached  a  long  point  of 
low  land,  which  ran  down  into  the  sea  from  a  high  hill- 
like  island.  "  All  hands  on  deck  to  go  ashore  ! " 

As  he  said  this,  all  hands  crowded  forward  to  watch 
the  scene,  while  the  vessel  continued  to  glide  onward 
toward  its  destined  port. 

"  Steady  ! "  shouted  the  captain,  to  the  •  man  at  the 
wheel.  "  Sheer  her  off  a  little  !  don't  let  her  run  on  that 
breaker  ahead ! " 

"  Aye,  aye  ! "  answered  the  man. 

"  Keep  her  steady,  now ! " 

"  Which  opening  shall  I  head  for  ?  "  shouted  the  man. 
"  The  smaller  one  right  ahead,  or  the  larger  one  at  the 
left?" 

"  Head  her  for  the  small  one." 

"There  is  a  breaker  just  inside  the  large  one,"  said 
Mr.  Ready.  "  We  could  not  get  in  there  if  we  did  try  to 
go  that  way." 

"  All  right !  steady  she  is,"  said  the  man. 

Just  then  the  vessel  came  abreast  of  the  point,  and 
opened  up  a  large,  spacious  harbor,  enclosed  on  all  sides 
by  land,  either  islands  or  headlands,  one  could  not  at 
first  tell  which.  The  captain  then  went  aft  and  took  the 
wheel  himself,  while  he  sent  the  man  forward  to  loose 


90  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

the  anchor.  This  did  not  take  long,  and  when  it  had 
been  accomplished  the  captain  called  out  again :  "  All 
hands  stand  by  to  tack  ship!" 

The  vessel  was  now  so  far  beyond  the  point,  that, 
by  tacking,  she  could  easily  reach  the  middle  of  the 
harbor,  or  stand  on  till  it  had  come  close  to  shore,  as 
the  pilot  said  that  there  was  plenty  of  water  on  the 
lee  shore. 

The  rattling  of  ropes,  and  the  usual  hurry  and  bustle 
of  the  men,  as  well  as  the  flapping  of  the  sails,  accom- 
panied the  captain's  order. 

"Let  go,"  shouted  the  captain,  and  the  jib  springing 
to  the  other  side  of  the  vessel  was  made  fast.  Then 
the  foresail  and  the  mainsail  jumped  around  two  or 
three  times,  and  finally  settled  into  their  proper  posi- 
tion, as  they  filled,  and  the  vessel,  under  the  fresh  im- 
pulse, fairly  cut  the  water  as  it  steamed  towards  the 
further  point  of  the  harbor. 

"Stand  by  your  anchor!"  once  more  shouted  the  cap- 
tain, as  the  little  schooner  dashed  the  spray  from  its 
prow,  in  its  straining  to  reach  the  point. 

"  Haul  down  your  jib !  "  A  few  seconds  later :  — 
"  Down  with  your  foresail ! "  and  a  few  seconds  more : 
"  Let  go  your  anchor  ! "  and  the  chains  tore  through  the 
horse-pipes,  with  a  rattling  and  a  clanking  loud  enough 
to  deafen  any  one  within  gunshot  of  the  vessel. 

"  Hooray  for  Labrador ! "  shouted  Mr.  Ready,  waving 
his  cap  vigorously. 

"  Lower  away  the  boats ;  let's  go  ashore." 

At  that  the  sailors  sprang  to  the  boats,  and  soon  had 
them  lowered  and  alongside. 

The  vessel,  as  it  came  along,  had  aroused  from  their 
nests  and  roosting  places  hosts  of  birds,  of  all  kinds. 


FIRST  DAY  ON  SHORE.  91 

They  flew  in  clouds  about  the  islands,  near  which  the 
schooner  had  been  anchored.  They  were  everywhere, 
filling  the  air,  the  earth,  and  the  waters.  Upon  first 
entering  the  harbor  but  few  had  been  seen;  but  they 
were  all  there.  —  There  were  literally  thousands  of  them. 
They  flew  through  the  air  like  arrows.  —  They  crossed 
and  re-crossed  the  vessel,  flying  above  and  below  the 
rigging,  and  all  about  on  every  side.  The  water,  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  schooner,  was  literally  alive  with 
birds,  and  the  ground  of  the  island  seemed  planted  with 
them.  Every  rock  or  point  of  land  was  covered  with 
them,  and  they  looked,  perched  there  on  their  little  black 
legs,  like  so  many  sentinels. 

"  Don't  they  look  like  ministers  ?  "  cried  Freddie. 

Allie  laughed  heartily ;  but  Mr.  Ready,  who  happened 
to  be  standing  near,  said : 

"  They  call  these  same  birds  priests,  so  I  am  told,  in 
the  South  arctic  regions." 

"They  are  waiting  for  the  gulls  to  come  to  confes- 
sional, I  guess." 

"It  will  be  a  cold  day,  when  the  gulls  confess  to 
them,"  said  Allie. 

"  I  guess  the  gulls  would  make  them  confess,"  chimed 
in  Freddie.  "  See !  see !  there  is  a  great,  big,  immense 
fellow,  with  a  great  black  back,  flying  around  up  there 
in  the  sky  with  all  those  other  gulls.  See  !  he  is  diving 
after  that  smaller  gull,  that  has  just  caught  a  fish ;  he 
has  made  him  drop  the  fish,  and  now  he  has  caught  it 
himself,  —  say,  Allie ;  he  has  caught  it  himself  before  it 
could  drop." 

"Which  one,  Freddie?" 

"  Ah  !  he  is  way  off,  now.  I  can't  see  him  myself," 
said  Freddie,  "  they  are  so  thick." 


92  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Look  at  the  gulls  up  in  the  air ! "  cried  Jack,  who 
just  then  came  along. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Ready ! "  exclaimed  John,  as  the  former 
passed  over  the  rail  into  the  boat,  "  can't  we  stay  here 
all  day  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  indeed ! "  answered  Mr.  Ready,  "  I  guess 
we  are  all  willing  to  do  that,  after  the  shaking  up  we 
had  last  night.  For  my  part,  I  doubt  if  we  get  away  for 
two  or  three  days ;  but  we  cannot  tell  positively  just  at 
present." 

"  Oh,  Freddie ! "  fairly  screamed  Allie.  "  See  that  old 
duck,  with  all  those  little  ones.  There  she  is,  way  down 
by  the  point,  in  the  little  cove,  way  up  by  the  grass. 
See !  see !  there  must  be  ten  or  twenty  of  them.  No ! 
there  is  only  three ;  yes,  four  of  them.  Ain't  they 
pretty  ! " 

"  Can't  we  get  some  of  them  alive  ?  " 

"  How  I  wish  we  could ! " 

'•'  We'll  try  it  anyway,  if  Mr.  Ready  will  let  us." 

"What's  that  you  want  to  do,  my  boy?"  said  Mr. 
Ready  from  the  boat,  who  had  heard  his  name  called. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Freddie.  "I  guess  I  want 
to  stop  and  think."  And  he  sat  down  on  the  deck  house 
perfectly  exhausted.  "  I  say,  Allie !  I  guess  I  won't 
read  Mayne  Reid's  Cliff-Climbers  to-night.  I  don't  be- 
lieve what  he  says,  because  I  don't  think  that  he  had 
ever  been  there  himself ;  and  how  could  he  know  that  it 
was  true,  if  he  had  never  been  there  ?  " 

"  I  say,  papa !  did  anybody  ever  write  a  story  about 
Labrador  ?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of,"  replied  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Well,  I  wish  somebody  had,  and  that  I  could  read  it 
beforehand.  I  think  it  would  be  ever  so  nice  to  know 


FIKST  DAY  ON  SHORE.  93 

something  beforehand  about  the  things  and  places  that 
we  are  going  to  see  ! " 

As  Mr.  Benton  got  into  the  boat,  Mr.  Ready  re- 
marked :  "  I  think,  Mr.  Benton,  there  will  be  three  tired 
boys  to-night." 

"  Yes,  yes  !  if  they  don't  get  used  up  before  night 
comes  on.  That's  all  I'm  afraid  of  —  they  are  good  boys, 
though." 

"Yes,  indeed,  sir !  I  never  saw  better." 

"  All  hands  on  board  ! "  shouted  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  I  think  that  we  won't  take  our  cans  and  collecting 
boxes,  to-night,"  said  Mr.  Eeady,  as  the  boys  started 
for  the  cabin  to  get  their  collecting  apparatus.  "We 
will  have  all  day  to-morrow  to  work  in ;  and  now  we 
will  go  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  point  and  see  Mr. 
Mclntyre,  who  has  just  built  him  a  nice  new  house, 
and  fishing  establishment,  on  the  inside  of  the  cove. 
We'll  get  some  fresh  milk,  and  get  a  rest  for  an  hour 
or  so." 

The  boys  looked  a  little  disappointed,  for  the  moment, 
but  soon  brightened  up,  and  put  away  their  boxes  and 
got  into  the  boat  without  a  word. 

A  minute  later,  and  both  boats  were  pulling  for  the 
place  indicated. 

Mr.  Mclntyre  had  seen  the  masts  of  the  North  Star, 
as  she  rode  cosily  at  anchor,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  at 
the  main  top,  and  was  on  the  landing  ready  to  receive 
his  visitors. 

"  Well,  well ! "  said  Mr.  Mclntyre.  —  "  Who  have  we 
here  ?  "  as  the  genial  face  of  Mr.  Eeady,  at  the  bow  of 
the  boat,  approached  the  wharf. 

"An  old  hand,"  laughed  Mr.  Eeady.  "You  have 
changed  quarters,  since  we  were  here  last !  " 


94  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Oh  yes !  Had  a  good  year  with  fish,  last  season,  so 
I  thought  I'd  fix  up  a  little." 

"  I  should  think  you  had  fixed  up  a  little,"  said  Mr. 
Ready,  stepping  on  to  the  wharf,  and  looking  about  him 
in  surprise.  "When  I  was  here  last  year,  you  had  an 
old,  broken  down  wharf,  and  an  old,  broken  down  house 
on  it,  that  you  used  to  call  the  '  pig-sty,' "  laughed  Mr. 
Ready. 

"  Well,  yes  !  "  said  Mr.  Mclntyre ;  "  and  the  whole 
place  was  about  as  like  one  as  you  could  make  it." 

"Now,  /should  say,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "that  the  pig 
had  been  dressed  I "  Mr.  Ready  laughed  as  he  said  this, 
and  nudged  Mr.  Mclntyre  in  the  side ;  then  Mr.  Mc- 
lntyre laughed,  and  said :  "  Yes !  and  you  have  come 
just  in  time  to  have  some  served  to  you  and  your 
friends.  By  the  way,  why  don't  you  introduce  them 
to  me  ?  " 

"Oh!  I  forgot.  This  is  Mr.  Benton  and  his  three 
boys,  and  these  gentlemen  —  Mr.  Taylor,  Mr.  Jacobs,  Mr. 
Furness,  and  Mr.  Murphy.  This  is  my  son,  Jack,  whom 
you  know." 

"Welcome,  gentlemen!"  Mr.  Mclntyre  replied,  cor- 
dially. "  Come  up  to  the  hut.  It  will  cover  you  all,  I 
guess,  and  that's  about  all." 

"Yes  !  and  I  suppose  your  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren—" 

"  Three,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Ready,"  and  Mr.  Mclntyre 
tapped  Mr.  Ready  on  the  shoulder,  lightly,  with  his 
fingers. 

"  Ah,  yes !  certainly  !  "  replied  Mr.  Ready,  looking 
very  much  surprised,  —  "  three  children  will  be  there  to 
welcome  us." 

"  Yes,  yes  !    Walk  up  to  the  house,  gentlemen ! " 


FIRST  DAY  ON  SHORE.  95 

Mr.  Mclntyre  then  led  the  way  to  the  house,  and  all 
the  party  followed. 

The  house  was  small,  but  cosy  looking,  and  neatly 
painted  white,  while  the  sills  and  doors  were  red.  It 
was  a  story  and  a  half  high,  and  attached  to  it  was  a 
smaller  house  or  room,  used  as  a  kitchen.  A  neat  little 
porch  ran  from  the  house  door  to  the  end  of  the  smaller 
room,  and  the  latter  had  a  large  door-like  window,  that 
opened  almost  to  the  foot  of  the  porch.  At  a  little  dis- 
tance to  the  right  was  a  small  shed  or  barn,  where  Mr. 
Mclntyre  kept  two  cows  and  a  billy  goat,  and  a  young 
bull.  A  very  small  garden  was  also  visible,  from  be- 
hind the  barn;  and  a  huge  pile  of  wood,  stacked  up 
like  an  Indian's  wigwam,  was  between  the  barn  and  the 
house.  • 

"  Well !  "  said  Mr.  Heady,  "  you  really  are  somebody, 
with  all  these  fine  things.  Why,  here's  Mrs.  Mclntyre, 
I  do  declare ! " 

Mrs.  Mclntyre  was  a  rather  short,  but  fat  and  good- 
natured  looking  lady,  of  about  forty  years,  and  much 
different  from  her  tall,  full-bearded,  yet  genial  husband. 

"  I  declare  !  Why,  Mr.  Ready,  how  do  you  do  ?  What 
a  long  time  since  you  were  here  last !  " 

"  Yes !  so  I  thought  I  would  come  down  and  see  you. 
You've  got  fixed  up  considerably  since  we  were  down 
here." 

"  Well,  yes !  And  that's  the  reason  that  I  can  give 
you  all  so  much  more  pleasant  a  reception  than  last  year. 
You  see  the  fishing  turned  out  well,  and  —  but,  walk 
into  the  house,  gentlemen." 

"  These  are  passengers  who  came  down  here  to  see  the 
coast,"  put  in  Mr.  Keady,  who  then  introduced  all  to 
Mrs.  as  he  had  done  at  the  landing  to  Mr.  Mclntyre. 


})»)  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"Walk  into  the  parlor,  gentlemen!"  said  Mrs.  Mcln 
tyre,  as  she  led  the  way. 

The  parlor  was  a  small,  but  pleasant  little  room,  quite 
nicely  furnished,  for  so  small  an  establishment,  and  one 
situated  so  far  out  of  the  world.  It  contained  many  con- 
veniences, and  even  luxuries.  There  was  a  sofa,  an  easy 
chair,  a  rocking-chair,  and  several  little  articles  of  con- 
venience besides.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  was  a  small 
organ,  open,  and  with  one  of  the  Moody  and  Sankey 
hymn-books  on  it.  In  the  opposite  corner  was  a  small 
table  with  several  fancy  things  upon  it,  and  a  number 
of  books.  On  the  mantel  were  several  articles  of  use 
and  some  curiosities,  and  over  it  hung  a  large  chromo 
of  a  sea  view,  with  huge  cliffs  on  either  side,  the  moon 
shining  through  the  clouds,  and  a  ship  under  full  sail 
going  in  a  most  remarkable  manner,  and  sails  filled 
with  a  wind  blowing  dead  ahead. 

It  took  but  a  few  moments  to  see  all  of  these  things, 
and  to  find,  further,  that  the  walls  were  papered  with 
real  wall  paper,  of  a  neat  pattern;  that  the  windows 
had  curtains  of  a  bluish  shade  and  with  gilt  pattern, 
and  that  everything  had  a  pleasant  and  home-like  ap- 
pearance, even  to  the  neat,  clean,  white  floor,  covered 
with  home-made  rugs. 

"It  is  comfortably,  but  not  expensively  furnished, 
sirs!"  said  Mrs.  Mclntyre.  "And  now,  if  you  will 
excuse  me,  I  will  go  and  prepare  supper  for  you !  Oh 
yes,  sir !  we  always  do  it  for  strangers,  and  you'll  not 
deny  us  the  privilege ! " 

The  latter  remark  had  been  called  forth  by  an  attempt 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Benton  to  say  no,  or  something  else 
equally  negative. 

"  Ah,  certainly  ! "  observed  Mr.  Ready.     "  We  can  go 


FIRST  DAY  ON  SHORE.  97 

aboard  for  supper,  just  as  well,  and  it  will  save  you  a 
great  deal  of  extra  trouble." 

"Now,  gentlemen!  we  shall  leave  you  for  about  half 
an  hour  to  take  care  of  yourselves.  You  can  go  out  of 
doors  or  stay  in  the  house,  whichever  you  see  fit.  Here, 
Mason !  show  the  gentlemen  around  the  place." 

A  tall,  strapping  boy,  of  about  fifteen,  appeared  at  the 
door,  and  bowed  an  awkward  sort  of  a  bow,  as  he  entered 
and  said :  "  If  you'll  come  with  me  out  here,  I'll  show 
you  the  cows  ! " 

"  Mason  !  "  screamed  his  mother,  "  can't  you  go  out  of 
the  front  door  ?  " 

"The  beer  barrel's  out  here,"  replied  Mason,  disap- 
pearing through  the  door. 

"If  you  follow  him,  he'll  show  you,"  Mr.  Mclntyre 
said  faintly,  as  the  door  closed,  and  the  party  followed 
Mason  through  the  side  door  into  a  sort  of  wood-shed  or 
large  back-room,  that  extended  the  whole  width  of  both 
the  large  and  small  house,  and  appeared  to  be  a  sort  of 
wash-room  and  wood-shed  combined. 

Mason  was  standing  at  a  huge  barrel,  set  upon  a  small 
wooden  table,  holding  the  faucet  in  one  hand  and  a  mug 
in  the  other,  into  which  latter  article  a  brownish  liquid 
was  running  with  a  light  froth  accumulating,  gradually, 
on  the  top.  When  the  mug  was  full,  he  handed  it  to 
Mr.  Benton  who  took  a  suspicious  look  at  the  contents, 
before  drinking. 

"  Drink  it,  sir !  we  all  does !  "  said  Mason. 

Mr.  Benton  put  the  cup  to  his  lips  to  take  a  new  taste, 
prepared  to  pass  it  around  to  the  next  one  immediately 
after;  but,  somehow,  after  he  had  taken  the  first  sip 
he  stood  holding  the  cup  to  his  lips  for  a  minute. 
When  he  took  it  down  he  smacked  his  lips  and  actually 


98  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

laughed  aloud.  Mason  filled  the  mug  again  and  passed 
it  on  until  every  one  had  tried  it.  Then,  strange  to 
say,  Mr.  Benton  thought  that  he  would  try  another 
mugful,  and  so  —  on  it  passed  again.  Then  they 
all  went  out  to  the  barn  and  saw  the  cows  and  the 
goat ;  into  the  garden  and  saw  the  young  potatoes,  cab- 
bage, lettuce,  and  turnip  heads ;  out  to  the  spring  and 
saw  where  they  got  their  water,  —  from  a  spring  that 
ran  down  the  hillside ;  then  back  into  the  house,  and 
another  stop  at  the  beer  barrel ;  and  so  on  to  the  parlor 
again. 

"  What  do  you  make  your  beer  of  ?  "  said  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Of  spruce  steeped  in  water,  and  molasses,  and  water, 
and  rise  it  with  some  of  the  last  mixing,"  replied  Mason. 
"  We  drink  it  in  place  of  water." 

"  What  a  sweet,  fresh  taste  it  has." 

"  Yes,  sir !  we  makes  it  fresh  every  day ! " 

"  Supper  is  ready,  sirs !  will  ye  please  comes  out  and 
takes  tea?" 

Mr.  Ready,  leading  the  way,  all  went  into  the  room 
opposite,  where  a  good  fire  was  brightly  burning,  —  for 
it  was  now  quite  chilly  out ;  and  sat  down  to  a  large 
well-filled  table.  A  large  platter  containing  salt-codfish, 
roasted  in  the  oven,  on  a  piece  of  clean  brown  paper, 
occupied  the  center  of  the  table,  with  a  bowl  of  pork 
gravy,  with  small,  crispy  pieces  of  fried  pork  in  it, 
sat  close  by ;  two  heaping  plates  of  warm  biscuits,  and 
a  large  plate  of  home-made  butter  were  also  not  far 
off ;  while  a  huge  dish  or  tureen,  heaping  full  of  large, 
variously  colored  and  spotted  eggs,  presented  a  curious 
appearance. 

When  all  were  seated  (grace  having  been  asked,  while 
all  were  standing  about  the  table),  the  tea  was  poured 


FIRST  DAY  ON  SHORE.  99 

out  and  real  cream,  and  white  sugar,  put  into  each  cup. 
The  biscuits  and  butter  were  passed;  the  codfish  and 
pork  scraps ;  and  soon  all  were  busily  engaged  in  testing 
the  quality  of  Mrs.  Mclntyre's  good  cheer.  The  boys, 
and  some  of  the  grown  folks  also,  had  mugs  of  rich 
milk.  Huge  inroads  were  made  into  the  biscuits  and 
butter,  and  slowly  the  platter  of  codfish  became  more 
and  more  empty.  Then  the  pile  of  eggs  began  gradually 
to  diminish,  and  Allie  looked  with  longing  eyes  at  each 
one,  as  its  thick,  but  handsomely  marked  shell  was 
cracked  and  peeled  off  of  its  curious  skim-milk-looking 
white  inside. 

"  Never  mind,  Freddie  !  we'll  get  plenty  to-morrow ; " 
he  whispered  to  his  brother. 

"  Plenty  of  what,  did  you  say  ? "  said  Mr.  Benton. 

Allie  looked  rather  foolish,  and  turned  a  little  red,  as 
he  answered,  "Eggs." 

"  Bless  your  heart ! "  said  Mrs.  Mclntyre.  "  You  can 
get  them  by  the  barrelful,  to-morrow,  if  you  want 
them.  Mason  will  go  all  over  the  island  with  you  and 
show  you  all  about  it." 

"  Jack,"  began  Allie. 

"  Sh-sh-  "  whispered  Jack. 

"  Come,  pass  me  some  butter ! " 

"Oh!"  said  Jack,  evidently  relieved  that  Allie  was 
not  going  to  say  anything  about  his  previous  offer  to 
show  them  around,  now  that  Mason  was  going  to  perform 
that  duty. 

Thus  the  meal  went  on,  article  after  article  disappear- 
ing, until  nearly  all  had  vanished.  After  the  meal, 
grace  was  then  said,  all  standing. 

"If  yous  waits  in  the  parlor  awhile,  wes'ill  clear  the 
table,  then  yous  can  sit  in  here  by  the  fire,"  said  Mrs. 


100  IV KECK  ED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Mclntyre ;  so  all  retired  to  the  parlor  again,  while  Mary, 
who  had  been  rocking  cradle  meanwhile,  came  in  and  sat 
down  by  the  organ  and  began  to  play.  Gradually  the 
playing,  which  though  not  perfect,  was  quite  good,  came 
to  be  more  and  more  familiar,  until,  before  anybody 
realized  it,  all  had  assembled  close  around  the  organ  and 
were  singing,  to  the  best  of  their  powers,  from  the  well- 
known  pages  of  Moody  and  Sankey,  No.  2.  About  half 
an  hour  later  Mr.  Mclntyre  came  into  the  room,  called 
Mary  and  told  her  that  her  mother  wanted  her,  and 
announced  that  he  could  accommodate  with  rooms  all 
those  who  would  stay  on  shore  and  sleep  at  his  house. 
Mr.  Benton  expressed  great  surprise  that  the  house 
would  hold  so  many;  but  Mr.  Mclntyre  declared  that 
there  was  "  plenty  of  room  for  all." 

Mr.  Ready  and  Jack  declined  to  stay,  saying  that  they 
must  go  back  to  the  ship ;  but  Mrs.  Mclntyre  refused  to 
hear  anything  of  the  kind,  so  Mason  was  sent  over,  in 
the  dory,  to  tell  the  captain  and  cook  not  to  expect  the 
party  on  board  "before  dinner  to-morrow,"  at  any  rate. 
About  nine  o'clock  Mary  came  in  with  a  light  in  her 
hands  "to  show  the  gentlemen  their  rooms,"  as  Jack 
declared  that  he  heard  her  mother  tell  her,  and  all  fol- 
lowed up  a  narrow  flight  of  crooked  stairs,  to  their 
chambers.  Mr.  Benton  and  his  sons  were  turned  into 
one  room  with  two  beds  in  it ;  the  four  gentlemen  into  a 
similar  room  upon  the  opposite  side,  opening  out  of 
which  was  a  small  single  room,  which  was  allotted  to 
Mr.  Ready  and  his  son.  The  rooms  were  small,  but 
cosily  furnished,  and  the  beds  clean  and  soft.  The  ticks 
and  pillows  were  of  feathers,  and  there  was  plenty  of 
clothing.  Each  room  also  had  a  table  on  which  was  a 
candle  burning,  in  a  small  horn  candlestick. 


FIRST  DAY  ON  SHORE.  101 

"  Well,  gentlemen !  "  said  Mary ;  "  I  wishes  you  all 
good  evening,"  and  down  stairs  she  went,  leaving  the 
company  for  the  night. 

The  room  that  the  four  gentlemen  had  was  a  corner 
room  and  overlooked  the  harbor,  so  that  now,  from  a 
nearly  cloudless  sky,  the  moon  and  stars  shone  down 
most  beautifully  upon  the  quiet  scene  below.  The  air 
was  rather  chilly,  but  not  really  cold,  and  Mr.  Murphy, 
going  to  the  southwest  window,  which  was  in  a  sort 
of  an  alcove,  and  somewhat  screened  from  the  rest  of 
the  room,  opened  it,  and,  lighting  his  pipe,  sat  smoking 
and  enjoying  the  scene.  For  a  long  while  he  sat  and 
smoked  in  silence,  —  watching  the  sky,  as  some  mere 
fleck  of  a  cloud  would  cross  it,  perhaps  for  a  moment 
obscuring  the  disk  of  the  moon,  or  the  light  of  some 
star ;  watching  the  water,  which  reflected,  even  at  that 
distance,  the  ripples  playing  upon  its  surface.  There 
was  the  broad  bay  to  which  the  island  sloped  gradually 
at  the  left,  and  another  island  with  a  small  passage 
between  it  and  still  another  and  much  higher  one. 
Over  the  crest  of  the  hill,  at  the  right,  were  the  tall 
cliffs  of  a  third,  and  not  far  off  could  be  seen  the  top- 
mast of  a  vessel  from  which  fluttered  a  small,  neat  flag : 
it  was  the  stars  and  stripes  of  the  North  Star.  There 
it  fluttered  and  rippled,  like  the  surface  of  the  water 
over  which  it  waved,  —  still  Mr.  Murphy  smoked  on 
in  placid  enjoyment,  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  it  was 
gradually  growing  colder  in  the  room. 

"Well,  Mr.  Murphy,"  said  Mr  Furness,  "if  you  really 
wish  to  sleep  out-of-doors,  nobody  will  object,  provided 
we  are  not  obliged  to  do  so." 

No  response  followed  this  mild  suggestion,  but  Mr. 
Murphy  very  quietly  drew  his  head  inside  of  the  win- 


102  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

dow,  knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe  on  the  sill,  and, 
with  a  sigh  —  or  possibly  a  very  deep  breath  —  arose  and 
shut  the  window.  In  a  short  time  all  were  quietly  sleep- 
ing, and  the  silence  of  night  had  settled  upon  every 
person  and  every  thing. 


COLLECTING   SPECIMENS.  103 


CHAPTER  VII. 

COLLECTING    SPECIMENS. 

THE  following  morning,  all  hands  were  up  and  about 
at  a  very  early  hour.  Luckily  the  weather  was 
fine,  thus  giving  them  a  capital  chance  to  walk  out  and 
take  the  air  before  breakfast. 

The  boys  were  up  earlier  than  the  gentlemen,  and, 
with  Jack  and  Mason,  were  off,  almost  by  daylight,  to 
take  a  look  around  the  island.  Mrs.  Mclntyre  and  her 
daughter  were  busy  preparing  breakfast  for  their  guests, 
while  Mr.  Mclntyre  was  just  outside  the  porch,  chopping 
wood  for  the  fire. 

The  scene,  outside  of  the  house,  was  one  of  serenity. 
The  sun  was  shedding  his  beams  upon  the  earth  and 
rippling  water,  on  the  bosom  of  which  the  North  Star 
rode  placidly,  or  coquetted  with  an  occasional  billow  as  it 
surged  through  the  narrow  opening,  into  the  harbor,  from 
the  sea  outside,  which,  though  not  heavy,  was  somewhat 
ruffled  by  the  slight  wind  blowing  from  the  southwest. 

Though  the  men  portion  of  the  guests  were  supposed 
to  have  opened  their  eyes  and  rolled  over  in  their  beds, 
and  to  be  indulging  in  that  delicious  of  all  restful  sleep, 
—  a  second  morning  nap  —  not  all  were  thus  employed. 
A  glance  at  one  of  the  windows  would  have  revealed  the 
calm,  genial  face  of  Mr.  Murphy,  with  his  inseparable 
meerschaum,  gazing  at  the  scene,  and  quite  in  apparent 
harmony  with  it. 

An  hour  later,  and  men,  boys,  and  all,  were  once  more 


104  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

gathered  around  Mrs.  Mclntyre's  genial  board,  where 
they  were  soon  busily  engaged  with  fresh  roast  cod,  hot 
biscuits,  tea  and  coffee,  with  rich  cream,  —  besides  milk 
for  those  who  wished.  The  gentlemen  took  their  time, 
and  fully  enjoyed  every  moment  with  the  abundance  of 
good  cheer  provided  for  them ;  the  boys  hurried  through 
with  their  portion  of  the  meal,  and  soon  struck  off,  with 
Jack  Ready  and  Mason,  for  the  North  Star. 

"  Come,  boys,"  said  Mason,  "  hurry  up  and  get  into  the 
boat,  while  I  untie  the  painter." 

One  after  another,  the  boys  fairly  tumbled  into  the 
boat,  while  Jack  reached  for  the  oars,  and  Allie  began  to 
bail  out  the  water  that  had  soaked  into  it  during  the 
night.  A  moment  later  and  Mason  had  thrown  the 
painter  into  the  boat,  and,  taking  the  extra  oar,  was  soon 
with  Jack  pulling  away  from  the  land. 

"Let's  go  to  the  North  Star  first,"  said  Jack,  "and 
get  our  things." 

As  this  seemed  to  be  the  sentiment  of  all  hands,  the 
boat's 'head  was  turned  toward  the  vessel.  A  short  row 
sufficed  to  reach  it,  and  the  boys  scrambled  over  the  side 
in  such  haste  that  they  fairly  took  Max  by  surprise,  as 
he  was  coming  up  the  forecastle. 

"  Savages  ! "  screamed  Freddie,  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
"  On  deck  to  repel  boarders  ! " 

"All  right,"  Max's  pleasant  voice  laughingly  replied, 
"  I'll  begin  by  repelling  you."  And  grasping  two  of  the 
boys  by  the  shoulder  with  each  hand,  and  forcing  them 
against  the  third,  pushed  all  three  clear  across  the  deck, 
in  spite  of  their  resistance,  and  pinned  them  in  the 
corner  of  the  lee  scupper. 

"  There  now,"  cried  Max,  laughing  heartily,  "  I  repel 
three  of  them." 


COLLECTING   SPECIMENS.  105 

The  boys  laughed  in  spite  of  themselves. 

"  We  surrender,"  cried  Jack. 

"  All  right,  gentlemens,"  said  Max,  "  if  you  surrenders, 
you  can  come  aboard." 

"My  gracious,  Allie,"  said  John;  "I'd  no  idea  Max 
was  so  strong !  He  is  so  small  I  almost  thought  I  could 
lick  him  myself." 

"Hurry  up,"  sounded  a  voice  from  the  boat's  side; 
and  a  wave  brought  Mason's  head  on  a  level  with  the 
vessel's  gunwale. 

In  a  moment  the  collecting  gun  was  aboard,  and  the 
boys  followed  soon  after.  Hastily  stowing  a  few  hard- 
tack into  the  boat's  cuddy,  for  a  luncheon,  in  case  of 
necessity,  the  oars  were  resumed,  and  the  boat  headed 
for  one  of  a  small  group  of  islands  just  visible  outside 
of  the  harbor. 

Allie  had  his  gun,  with  plenty  of  powder  and  shot; 
Jack  had  his  revolver,  which  had  been  arranged  so  as  to 
fasten  to  a  false  butt  or  handle,  thus  appearing  like  a 
small  rifle ;  John  carried  two  pails  for  eggs ;  and  Freddie 
the  egg  hook  with  another  pail,  and  a  small  can  for 
flowers.  Thus  fitted  out,  the  boys  rowed  for  the  island. 
They  had  not  rowed  far  before  Mason  suddenly  dropped 
his  oar,  and,  seizing  his  gun,  rushed  to  the  bow  of  the 
boat ;  a  moment,  and  bang  went  the  gun. 

"  Have  you  got  him  ?  "  shouted  Freddie. 

"Yes,  I've  got  him,  I  think." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  It's  a  pigeon,"  said  Mason. 

"  What's  a  pigeon,  Mason  ? "  said  Freddie ;  but,  as 
Mason  was  now  busy  aiming  again,  Jack  answered : 

"It's  a  pigeon,  or  black  guillemot,  and  they  are  the 
quickest  birds  to  dive  there  are,  next  to  an  old  ssa  duck ; 


106  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

see,  there  he  is  again.  Mason  did  not  hit  him  the  first 
time,  and  now  he  is  going  to  try  again." 

Before  Jack  had  finished  speaking,  bang  went  the  gun 
again,  and  this  time  Mason  dropped  his  gun,  and,  picking 
up  the  oar,  began  to  row  furiously. 

"  Lay  in  to  it,  Jack ;  there  she  is ;  we'll  get  her.  I 
say,  Allie ;  you  stand  in  the  bow  ready  to  pick  her  up." 

Away  sped  the  boat  in  the  new  direction,  and  in  a  few 
moments  Allie  had  picked  up  the  dead  bird,  and  laid"  it 
on  the  thwart  of  the  boat,  so  the  blood  and  water  would 
drop  from  its  plumage.  This  had  hardly  been  accom- 
plished before  Mason  cried  out: 

"  Say,  Allie ;  isn't  your  gun  loaded  ?  There's  another 
bird,  just  ahead.  See  it  ?  " 

"  Where  ?    Yes ;  here's  the  gun,"  answered  Allie. 

"  Try  it  yourself,"  said  Mason.     "  Hurry  up." 

Allie,  only  too  eager  to  try  his  luck,  reached  for  his 
gun,  and  stood  waiting  for  a  shot. 

"  There  he  is  !  Shoot  as  he  dips  his  bill  to  feed,"  said 
Mason. 

Allie  took  a  quick  aim  and  fired. 

"There,"  said  Jack,  "killed  him  first  shot." 

A  moment  more  and  this  second  specimen  was  lying 
with  the  first,  and  the  boat  sped  on.  As  no  more  birds 
appeared  near  by,  Allie  loaded  his  barrel  again,  and  then 
loaded  Mason's  two  barrels,  that  both  guns  might  be  in 
readiness  for  the  next  occasion.  This  soon  arrived,  for 
at  that  instant  a  huge  gull  soared  directly  over  the  boat, 
and  Jack,  catching  up  Mason's  gun,  fired  at  it.  The 
huge  bird,  doubling  up  its  wrings,  and  turning  over  and 
over  several  times,  shot  downward  like  an  arrow.  The 
boys  ducked  their  heads,  by  a  natural  impulse,  as  the 
gull  landed,  with  a  thwack,  in  the  very  center  of  the  boat. 


COLLECTING   SPECIMENS.  107 

"Phew-ew!"  whistled  Freddie,  "I  thought  he'd  hit 
me,  sure ! " 

It  seemed  rather  strange,  but  everybody  confessed  to 
having  the  same  feeling.  Mason  picked  up  the  bird  and 
said : 

"  It's  a  fresh  water  gull." 

"  That's  what  we  call  a  glaucus  or  ice  gull,"  said  Allie. 

"And  this,"  said  Mason,  seizing  his  gun  and  discharg- 
ing the  remaining  loaded  barrel  at  a  bird  which  was 
flying  close  to  the  water,  just  across  the  bow  of  the  boat, 
"  is  an  eider  duck,  and  a  male  at  that." 

It  was,  indeed,  a  beautiful  bird,  with  a  mixture  of 
dark  and  white  plumage ;  but  what  excited  the  boys' 
admiration  the  most  was  the  beautiful  white  puffy 
cheeks,  tinged  with  pea  green ;  but  there  was  no  time 
to  examine  it  carefully,  for  its  mate  soon  flew  by,  and 
Allie  successfully  brought  her  down  with  his  left  barrel, 
which  still  remained  loaded.  Thus  the  boys  loaded  and 
fired,  again  and  again,  until  they  reached  the  island  with 
every  available  dry  space  in  their  boat  crowded  with 
dead  birds,  all  laid  out  carefully,  that  the  blood  might 
drip  from  mouth  and  plumage,  and  that  their  feathers 
might  dry,  so  that  Allie  —  who  was  already  quite  an 
adept  at  taxidermy  —  might  skin  them,  previous  to  tak- 
ing them  home  and  stuffing  them  for  his  collection. 

After  much  excitement  and  a  great  many  attempts 
the  boat  reached  the  island;  Mason  then  drew  her 
around  into  a  small  cove,  formed  by  the  curving  of 
some  large  bowlders,  where  she  would  not  rock,  ana 
moored  her.  All  hands  jumped  011  shore,  with  their 
bag,  cans,  and  pails,  and  deposited  them  on  the  beach, 
in  a  bunch  of  grass,  just  above  high  water  mark.  As 
the  island  was  not  very  large,  and  rather  high  and 


108  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

rocky,  making  it  difficult  traveling  with  so  many  arti- 
cles, it  was  decided  first  to  go  egging,  then  ascend  to  the 
higher  part  of  the  island,  collecting  flowers  and  other 
specimens ;  so  off  all  hands  started,  with  pails  and  egg 
hook,  —  while  the  birds  flew  about  in  countless  thousands, 
above,  and  around  them. 

Mason  was  already  down  on  his  hands  and  knees,  dig- 
ging into  a  huge  cleft  of  the  rocks,  from  which  he  had 
just  hauled  out,  by  the  legs,  three  birds,  and  was  after  the 
fourth,  while  two  or  three  times  as  many  eggs  lay  within 
reach  close  by.  John  had  started  to  help  him,  but  had 
fallen  upon  a  large  nest  of  most  beautiful  light  down, 
full  of  eider  duck  eggs ;  this  he  was  trying  to  take  home 
as  it  was,  so  he  stowed  it  into  the  bottom  of  his  pail  and 
threw  some  grass  over  it,  before  putting  in  anything 
else ;  but  John  did  not  stop  here.  A  little  distance  far- 
ther was  another  nest,  but  of  a  far  different  character 
from  that  of  the  first,  being  small,  of  fine  grass  stems, 
and  deeply  set  into  a  hollow  in  the  center  of  a  clump  of 
grass,  and  containing  five  longish  eggs,  spotted  or  rather 
blotched  with  light  brown  spots,  some  of  which  were  of 
a  faint  lilac  tint.  While  John  was  examining  the  prize, 
Mason  came  by. 

"  Well,  now  you  have  got  a  prize  .  That  is  one  of  our 
little  white-headed  sparrows,"  he  said. 

At  that  instant  a  small  bird,  apparently  the  owner  of 
the  nest,  flew  by  and  lighted  close  to  where  the  boys 
were.  John  could  see  that  it  was  a  small  sparrow-like 
bird,  with  alternate  white  and  black  stripes  down  its 
head. 

"Why,  that  is  what  Allie  calls  the  white-crowned 
sparrow,"  he  said.  "  It  lives  here  in  Labrador,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  common  of  small  birds." 


COLLECTING   SPECIMENS.  109 

"  You  ought  to  hear  it  sing,"  said  Mason. 

Just  then  Allie's  gun  was  heard,  and  a  moment  later 
Allie  himself  came  running  to  where  Mason  and  John 
were,  with  a  tremendously  large  bird  in  his  hands,  strug- 
gling fiercely  the  while. 

"I  shot  him  all  myself,  boys,"  he  shouted. 

"Well,  you've  got  an  old  saddler  now,"  said  Mason. 
"  Bring  it  here,  let's  kill  him  first." 

The  wounded  bird  was  soon  put  out  of  its  misery, 
and  then  laid  down  and  stretched  out  upon  the  grass. 
It  was  an  immense  bird  of  the  gull  tribe,  and  had  an 
entirely  white  plumage,  excepting  that  the  back  and 
wings  above  were  pure  bluish  black.  It  measured  some- 
what over  four  feet  from  tip  to  tip,  and  was  the  most 
beautiful  specimen  they  had  yet  seen. 

"  Oh,  what  a  beauty  ! "  and  Allie  fairly  danced  with 
pleasure,  as  he  viewed  the  magnificent  bird.  "  I'll  stuff 
him  for  Eva,"  said  he. 

"  Yes ;  and  she  can  take  the  old  house  off  from  her 
paper-rack,  and  you  can  mount  him  on  that,"  added 
John.  "  But  what  has  Freddie  got  ?  See,  here  he 
comes." 

On  came  Freddie,  with  a  huge  object  dangling  upon  a 
stick  over  his  shoulder. 

"See  what  I've  got,  boys,"  he  shouted,  at  the  same 
time  displaying  the  object,  by  lifting  the  stick  from  his 
shoulder.  "  See  him  ;  there's  more  here,  too." 

"  Why,  it's  a  lobster ;  as  sure  as  I'm  alive,"  and  Jack, 
who  spoke,  whistled  a  little  snatch  of  a  most  curious 
song,  which  he  said  meant  "  a  dozen  more  at  low  tide." 

At  this  all  hands  laughed  heartily,  and  then,  taking 
up  their  burdens,  hastened  to  deposit  them  in  the  boat. 
Jack  emptied  his  bucket,  which  was  full  of  eggs,  in  the 


110  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

bailing  bucket  of  the  boat ;  John  placed  his  nests  in  the 
cuddy,  and  Allie  placed  his  bird  on  a  thwart  with  the 
others ;  then  he  carefully  plugged  their  mouths  and  nos- 
trils with  cotton,  wiped  the  blood  and  water  from  them, 
and  left  them  to  dry.  All  hands  now  started  off  once 
more,  for  eggs,  and  soon  the  pails  were  filled  with  every 
variety  that  could  be  found  upon  the  island.  Several 
very  perfect  sets  of  eider  ducks'  eggs,  with  their  beauti- 
ful downy  nests,  were  kept  separate  from  the  others,  as 
were  also  those  of  several  gulls,  of  each  of  the  three 
species  found  on  the  island :  the  herring  gull ;  the  glau- 
cus,  ice,  or  burgomaster  gull;  and  the  great  black 
backed  gull,  or  coffin-carrier.  Several  sets  of  pigeon  or 
black  guillemots'  eggs  were  found ;  and  in  the  grass  near 
a  little  pond  were  discovered  the  nest  and  eggs  of  a 
"  shell  bird,"  as  Mason  called  it,  or  shell  drake.  Thus 
loaded,  with  their  buckets  full  of  all  sorts  of  varieties  of 
eggs,  the  boys  once  more  started  for  the  boat,  where  they 
left  their  burdens,  and  then,  with  botany  can  and  collect- 
ing bottles,  started  to  see  what  fresh  specimens  they 
could  secure. 

"  I  declare,"  said  John,  sitting  down  on  top  of  a  large, 
flat  stone,  "  I'm  tired  already." 

"  I  guess  we  all  are,"  added  Allie.  "  I'm  as  tired  as  if 
I'd  been  tramping  all  day,  or  digging  a  railroad,  and  I 
don't  believe  it  is  anywhere  near  noon  yet." 

John  looked  at  his  watch,  and  reported  it  as  "  only  a 
quarter  of  eleven." 

"  Let's  have  a  lunch,"  said  Mason. 

"  What  have  we  got  to  eat  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Oh,  you  boys  make  a  fire,  and  I'll  quickly  get  you 
enough  to  eat." 

The  boys  set  to  in  a  hurry,  even  Freddie  helping  to 


COLLECTING   SPECIMENS.  Ill 

collect  wood  for  the  fire.  .  For  this  purpose  each  followed 
the  line  of  the  shore  for  drift-wood  —  there  being  appar- 
ently no  other  on  the  island  —  and  soon  all  were  return- 
ing with  enough  to  boil  the  can — the  can  being  nothing 
else  than  the  tin  bailing  bucket  of  the  boat,  full  of  salt 
water. 

" Now  where  are  the  matches  ?  "  asked  Mason.  Every- 
body looked  at  everybody  else  in  perfect  amazement. 
Of  course  nobody  had  any. 

Mason  went  to  the  boat  again,  and,  after  fumbling  for 
some  time  in  the  cuddy,  produced  a  small  match  safe, 
wrapped  in  oil-cloth,  to  keep  it  waterproof,  from  which 
he  extracted  several,  and  then  re-wrapping  the  bundle, 
put  it  back  in  the  cuddy. 

"  All  right,  boys ;  here's  for  the  fire  ! "  shouted  Mason. 

In  a  moment  a  good  blazing  fire  was  crackling  and 
curling  up  towards  the  sky,  or  rather  towards  the  bot- 
tom of  the  tin  bailing  bucket,  which  was  filled  with 
water,  containing  half  a  dozen  auks'  eggs,  and  tied  to 
a  stick,  the  two  ends  of  which  Allie  and  Freddie  were 
holding. 

"  Oh,  my ;  how  hot  it  is  ! "  cried  Allie.  "  John,  come 
and  take  my  end  for  a  few  minutes,  do." 

"  And  Jack,  come  and  take  mine,  will  you  ?  "  put  in 
Freddie. 

A  moment  later,  and  both  John  and  Jack  were  as 
eagerly  crying  for  Allie  and  Freddie  to  come  and  take 
the  stick  again.  So  it  continued  until  the  pot  boiled, 
and  the  eggs  were  "  hard  enough  to  cut,"  as  Mason  said. 

The  boys  had  no  butter  or  salt  for  their  eggs,  but  they 
tasted  "just  as  good  as  if  there  were  all  the  fixings  on 
them  that  we  ever  have,"  said  Freddie. 

"  Yes,  and  a  great  deal  better,"  added  Mason. 


112  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR, 

"  What  is  it  about  fames  bene  condensum  est  ?  "  asked 
Allie. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  laughed  John,  "  if  you  ever  go  to  college, 
Allie,  I  guess  you'll  take  the  Latin  prize.  Condimentum 
est,  you  mean." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that's  it ;  '  fames  bene  condimentum  est,'  or 
beans  are  a  famous  condiment,"  Allie  replied. 

"  Where  are  the  beans  ?  "  asked  Freddie,  very  inno- 
cently, looking  up  from  his  egg. 

"  You  don't  know  beans,  I  guess,"  said  Jack. 

"  How  do  you  like  your  eggs  ?  "  asked  Mason. 

"They're  splendid;  I  wish  we  had  some  more,  and 
that  it  was  dinner  time,"  said  Allie. 

"  You  can  have  as  many  of  them  as  you  like ;  they  are 
all  around  you,"  and  Mason  laughed  heartily  at  his  own 
sally. 

It  now  became  necessary  for  the  boys  to  start,  if  they 
expected  to  do  any  further  exploring  before  noon,  or 
rather  before  afternoon,  as,  in  these  latitudes,  it  was 
observed  that  the  greatest  heat,  during  the  day,  was  not 
directly  at  noon,  but  at  some  time  between  one  and  two 
o'clock.  The  reason  for  this,  the  boys  had,  as  yet,  failed 
to  ascertain ;  since  the  professor,  whom  they  had  asked, 
had  put  them  off  with  a  "  hunt  it  out  for  yourselves  in 
your  physical  geographies."  Jack  Ready,  when  the  boys 
were  talking  the  matter  over  between  them,  insisted  that 
it  must  have  been  so  arranged  to  give  the  Esquimaux  the 
proper  time  between  breakfast  and  dinner,  since  they  got 
up  so  late  mornings.  Freddie  said  that  he  guessed  that 
the  reason  was,  that  they  were  so  far  north  that  the  sun 
didn't  get  time  to  get  there  by  noon. 

While  the  boys  were  thus  chatting  on  about  the  mys- 
terious reasons  for  the  difference  in  temperature  between 


COLLECTING  SPECIMENS.  113 

the  different  latitudes,  they  were  gathering  together  their 
collecting  implements,  and  they  now  started  on  with  re- 
newed zeal. 

"  What  are  all  these  little  things  on  the  rocks  ? " 
asked  Freddie.  "  See ;  they  are  old  and  broken.  Here 
is  a  fresh  one,  just  broken ;  but  all  the  insides  are  gone." 

"  The  gulls  leave  them,"  said  Jack. 

"  Gulls  !  "  exclaimed  Allie.     "  How  do  they  do  that  ?  " 

"Why,  they  eat  them,"  said  Mason.  "They  dive 
down,  from  a  great  height,  and  pick  them  up,  then  fly 
away  up  in  the  air  with  them,  and  then  let  them  drop ; 
the  distance  is  so  great  that  the  shell  is  broken ;  then 
the  gull  alights  and  eats  the  contents." 

"  How  strange ! "  exclaimed  all  the  boys. 

At  that  moment  a  large  gull  arose  from  near  where  the 
boys  were,  and  flew  lazily  off. 

"  Come,  let's  see  where  he  came  from,"  cried  Allie ;  and 
off  they  were  in  a  minute  to  the  spot. 

"  Here's  one  that  that  gull  had  just  been  eating,"  con- 
tinued Allie. 

Sure  enough,  there  were  the  remnants  of  a  large, 
fresh  animal  that  the  gull  had  evidently  just  been  feed- 
ing upon. 

"  What  are  they,  anyway  ?  "  said  Allie. 

"  They  are  called  echini,  or  sea  urchin,"  replied  John, 
acting  for  once  as  a  professor,  "  because  the  Latin  echi- 
nus means  a  hedgehog.  When  rolled  up,  with  all  its 
spines  bristling  out,  it  looks  like  one  of  these  animals." 

The  specimen  was  of  a  green  color,  covered  completely, 
save  a  small  spot  beneath,  with  long,  sharp  spines.  The 
boys  saved  two  or  three  fine  large  specimens,  and  then 
continued  their  search. 

Meanwhile,  the  botany  can  was  fast  being  filled  with 


114  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

plants,  and  John  had  filled  a  small  can  with  seaweeds  of 
various  kinds,  which  he  intended  mounting  and  arranging 
on  cards,  when  he  should  reach  home. 

Just  then  a  sharp,  shrill  screech  announced  that  Jack 
had  fired  his  revolver  at  something. 

"  Oh,  come  quick ! "  he  cried :  "  I've  hit  him !  Where's 
the  boat  ?  " 

"  You've  hit  what  ?  "  said  Mason,  who  happened  to  be 
near  by. 

"  A  seal ! "  replied  Jack. 

"I  don't  believe  that  you  hurt  him  much,"  laughed 
Mason. 

"  Yes,  I  did ;  I  sunk  him." 

"No  doubt  about  that,"  again  laughed  Mason.  "See, 
there  he  is  laughing  at  you." 

At  that  moment  the  seal  raised  his  head  from  the 
water,  this  time  somewhat  nearer  in  towards  shore,  and 
showing  a  sleek  black  head,  with  eyes  almost  human, 
turned  it  slowly  from  side  to  side  as  he  surveyed  the 
prospect  on  either  side  of  him. 

"  Keep  perfectly  still,  now,"  whispered  Mason.  "  There 
he  dives.  Follow  me  and  do  as  I  do." 

Mason  ran  along  the  shore  to  a  ledge  of  rocks,  quite 
near  to  the  water,  and  then  crouched  behind  it.  Then, 
telling  the  boys  to  be  cautious  and  only  to  show  the  tops 
of  their  heads,  he  got  up  and  threw  himself  at  full  length 
upon  the  rock.  A  moment  more  and  the  seal  reappeared. 
Then  Mason  began  a  queer  sort  of  a  noise,  resembling  a 
deep  hollow  sounding  of  the  word  wow-wow-wow,  uttered 
several  times,  somewhat  like  the  barking  of  a  dog.  The 
seal  took  a  long  look  and  ducked  his  head  again ;  in  a 
minute  he  reappeared,  this  time  several  rods  nearer  the 
boys.  In  this  way  the  animal  was  fairly  tolled  almost 


COLLECTING   SPECIMENS.  115 

up  to  a  large  rock,  just  a  little  way  from  shore,  in  the 
water. 

"Now,"  whispered  Mason,  "if  I  had  a  good  rifle  I 
might  kill  him." 

Arriving  here,  the  seal  took  a  long  look  about  him,  and 
then  dived  again. 

"All  up  now,"  cried  Mason,  springing  up. 

"  Where's  he  gone  to  ?  "  said  all  the  boys  at  once. 

"  Way  out  to  sea,  with  a  long  dive,"  replied  Mason. 

True  enough.  About  ten  minutes  after,  and  the  seal's 
head  could  just  be  distinguished  way  out  in  the  distance, 
half  a  mile  at  sea.  Jack  fired  a  parting  shot  at  him, 
and  afterwards  was  heartily  laughed  at  for  having 
"  sunk  a  seal "  with  a  small  twenty-two  bore  revolver. 

As  it  was  now  noon  in  earnest,  the  boys  returned  to 
the  boat,  made  a  fire,  drew  out  the  luncheon,  cooked 
more  eggs,  and  sat  down  to  a  regular  feast. 

Tke  boys  had  hardly  sat  down,  before  Mason  grasped 
Allie's  shot-gun,  and  started  off  for  a  point  of  rocks  near 
the  water,  a  little  distance  off.  A  moment  later  a  sharp 
crack  was  heard,  and  he  came  running  back  to  the  boat, 
and,  calling  to  Allie  to  jump  in,  he  hastily  pushed  off 
and  then  got  in  himself.  Taking  an  oar,  he  sculled  the 
boat  around  the  point,  and  soon  picked  up  two  dead 
ducks,  which  he  had  shot  from  a  small  flock  which  he 
had  seen  about  to  pass  that  way  when  he  ran  away  with 
Allie's  gun. 

"  Hurrah,  boys  ! "  shouted  Allie,  from  the  point.  "  Put 
on  more  wood  ;  roast  duck  for  dinner." 

He  was  answered  by  a  cheer,  and  soon  the  fire  was 
roaring  and  crackling  in  a  great  style. 

Before  the  boat  had  reached  shore,  Allie  had  thrown 
the  ducks  to  Jack,  and  he  and  Freddie  had  them  picked 


WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

and  cleaned  in  a  trice.  Mason  then  spitted  them,  and 
hung  them  over  the  fire  to  roast,  and  soon  they  were 
sputtering  away  almost  equal  to  the  spruce  fire  beneath 
them. 

"This  is  what  I  call  fun,"  said  John,  warming  his 
hands  over  the  genial  blaze.  "  It  beats  Robinson  Crusoe 
all  hollow." 

"Yes,  we  can  get  home  if  we  want  to,  and  he  couldn't." 
put  in  Freddie. 


AN  UNEXPECTED   SPECIMEN.  117 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AN    UNEXPECTED    SPECIMEN. 

THE  island  on  which  the  boys  were  encamped  was 
not  large,  though  it  was  rather  high.  It  stood  some 
distance  out  to  sea,  from  the  main  coast ;  yet  it  was  con- 
nected at  low  tide,  by  a  sand  bar,  to  a  rocky  point  of  land 
that  stretched  out,  with  a  similar  bar,  to  meet  it.  A 
simple,  small  channel  of  water  only  divided  the  two  bars 
of  sand.  On  the  north  and  west  side  of  the  island  the 
low  beach  was  almost  clear  sand,  sloping  gradually. 
Above,  the  sand  was  overgrown  with  grasses  and  a 
few  flowers.  Still  farther  up  came  a  huge  mass  of 
rocks,  piled  hither  and  thither,  in  all  possible  confu- 
sion. On  the  right,  a  high  eminence  presented  almost 
perpendicular  cliffs,  on  the  south,  to  the  very  water's 
edge.  At  dead-low  tide,  the  boys  could  wade  around  this, 
but  only  then. 

On  the  southeast  and  east  the  land  sloped  to  the 
water,  but  was  everywhere  rocks,  with  little  or  no  sand ; 
these  rocks  extended  a  long  distance  into  the  water,  in 
several  distinct  reefs.  Between  these  points  of  rocks 
were  channels  of  deep  water.  From  the  west  these 
ridges  of  rock  grew  gradually,  each  higher  than  the 
other,  till  they  finally  ran  into  the  rocky  shore,  close  in 
toward  the  island,  on  the  northeast. 

The  boys  had  established  themselves  by  a  large  angu- 
lar rock,  just  north  and  at  the  base  of  the  highest  portion 


118  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

of  the  island.  Here  they  had  made  their  fire,  and  here 
they  were  seated,  quietly  enjoying  their  noon  meal,  quite 
uninterruptedly. 

"  Well,  boys ! "  exclaimed  Jack ;  "  have  you  done 
enough  for  to-day  ?  " 

"  Done  enough !  Why,  Jack,  we  haven't  but  just 
begun ! "  said  Allie.  "  I  heard  Freddie  say  something, 
only  a  minute  ago,  about  beginning  all  over  again; 
didn't  you,  Freddie  ?  " 

"  I  said  that  I  would  like  to  begin  all  over  again.  It's 
like  reading  a  nice  book.  I  always  like  to  read  it  two  or 
three  times." 

"  Perhaps  you  do,"  said  Jack ;  "  but  I  always  like  to 
take  another,  and  then  find  that  the  last  was  better  than 
the  first.  So  now  I'd  like  best  to  find  some  new  excite- 
ment." 

"I'd  just  like  to  see  a  herd  of  seal,  as  Mason  tells 
about,"  said  John. 

"  While  you  are  all  expressing  your  opinions,"  Mason 
added,  "  I'll  express  mine  by  going  to  work  under  these 
rocks,  and  seeing  how  many  lobsters  I  can  find  under- 
neath them.  I'd  like  to  take  home  a  good  mess,  first 
rate ! " 

"  What !  find  lobsters  under  these  rocks  ? "  asked 
Freddie ;  "  how  do  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  I'll  soon  show  you  how." 

And  Mason  went  to  the  boat  again,  took  from  the 
cuddy  a  large  cod  hook  and  some  stout  twine,  and  re- 
turned to  the  rocks.  Then  he  walked  along  the  shore, 
for  quite  a  distance,  until  he  had  found  a  large,  slender 
pole ;  this  too  he  returned  with,  then  he  sat  down,  and, 
with  his  knife,  whittled  a  groove  in  the  small  end  of  the 
pole,  on  the  side.  Placing  the  hook  in  this  groove,  the 


AN  UNEXPECTED  SPECIMEN.  119 

point  away  from  the  rest  of  the  stick,  he  proceeded,  by 
means  of  the  twine,  to  lash  it  firmly  to  the  stick. 

"  Here,  I  guess  that  will  stay  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "That 
makes  quite  a  gaff ! " 

"  What's  a  gaff  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"  Why,  this  is  one ;  a  stick  with  a  hook  in  it  ? " 

"  Yes !  but  I  thought  they  called  a  harpoon  a  gaff," 
said  Allie. 

"  So  they  do ! "  replied  Mason.  "  All  such  instru- 
ments for  spearing  or  hooking  anything  with,  the  sailors 
call  by  that  name." 

"But  a  gaff  topsail  don't  spear  or  hook  anything," 
persisted  Freddie. 

"  Dear  me  ! "  exclaimed  Mason.  "  Are  all  the  boys  in 
the  States  like  you  ?  for  if  they  are  there's  no  wonder 
that  they  all  turn  out  such  good  business  men." 

Freddie  looked  bewildered,  for  a  moment;  but  the 
good-natured  laugh,  raised  thus  at  his  expense,  cheered 
him  for  the  moment. 

"I  do  believe  that  if  Freddie  was  wrecked,  his  first 
question  would  be,  why  the  ship  did  not  flounder,  in- 
stead of  going  to  pieces,"  whispered  Jack. 

"  Flounder ! "  cried  Freddie.  "  Yes,  let's  get  some !  I 
saw  a  lot  of  them  off  the  wharf,  this  morning;  they 
are  splendid  to  eat." 

Another  ringing  laugh  so  thoroughly  disconcerted  the 
poor  boy,  that,  for  a  wonder,  he  kept  still  for  the  next 
half  hour  and  did  not  speak  even  to  Allie. 

"  Well !  what  shall  we  do  now,  boys  ?  "  said  Jack. 

"  I'm  going  lobstering,  for  one ! "  exclaimed  Mason. 

"  Then  we  will  all  go,"  said  John  and  Allie. 

The  boys,  then,  following  Mason's  example  and  advice, 
began  to  roll  up  the  legs  of  their  pantaloons,  as  far  as 


120  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

they  would  permit,  and  then  marched,  in  procession,  to 
the  base  of  the  cliff  and  out  into  the  shallow  water 
among  the  rocks. 

It  was  slippery  walking. 

The  shore  was  everywhere  lined  with  round  and  sharp- 
cornered  rocks,  large  and  small,  strewn  about  the  beach, 
and  these  were  covered  over  with  thick,  matted  seaweed, 
or  slippery  kelp. 

The  tide  had  receded,  leaving  only  pools  of  water 
here  and  there,  deepest  near  the  north  side  of  the 
larger  rocks,  where  the  water  had  scooped  or  washed 
out  the  sand,  leaving  small,  deep  pools,  which  continued 
often  under  the  rocks.  Sometimes  kelp  or  seaweeds 
grew  abundantly  in  and  about  these  places,  as  well  as  on 
the  rocks  around  them. 

The  boys  waded  right  into  the  water,  and  were  soon, 
knee-deep,  hunting  about  as  industriously  as  if  they 
were  in  the  business,  for  the  lobsters  that  Mason  had 
promised  them  would  be  found  so  abundantly. 

At  first  they  met  with  no  success,  and  even  Mason, 
with  his  gaff,  which  he  plied  industriously  beneath  the 
rocks,  failed  to  find  anything. 

"  Well !  this  begins  to  look  kinder  empty ! "  said 
Mason.  "I  see  some  larger  rocks  on  a  little  farther, 
there ;  I  am  going  to  try  them.  You  boys  stay  here  and 
look  again  under  some  of  these  rocks,  to  be  sure  that  there 
are  none  here,  and  if  I  find  any  I  will  let  you  know ! " 

Mason  winked  slyly  to  Jack,  and  presently  both  boys 
were  seen,  wending  their  way  towards  the  rocks  in  ques- 
tion. 

Just  at  that  moment,  Freddie  stepped  on  a  large  piece 
of  slippery  kelp,  and,  with  a  sudden  splash,  which 
caused  all  the  boys  to  look  around,  he  went  down  on  his 


AN   UNEXPECTED    SPECIMEN.  121 

hands  and  knees  into  a  great  pool  of  water,  in  which  he 
had  been  hunting  for  a  small  crab,  which  he  had  seen 
there  a  moment  before.  A  sputter  and  a  gagging  noise 
apprised  the  boys  that  the  bather  had  probably  tasted 
salt  water,  and  that  he  probably  did  not  like  it. 

A  moment  later,  and  a  more  forlorn  looking  object  than 
that  which  approached  the  beach  could  hardly  be  possible. 

Freddie  took  off  his  clothes  and  hung  them  over  a 
large  rock,  in  the  sun,  to  dry. 

"  I  tell  you !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Now  that  I  have  be- 
gun, I'm  going  to  finish  the  whole  job." 

Having  undressed,  Freddie  ran  a  short  distance  along 
the  beach,  to  where  the  water  was  somewhat  deeper, 
just  off  a  low  shelf  of  rocks,  which  jutted  into  the  sea, 
and  jumped  in. 

There  was  a  grand  plunge,  this  time,  and  then  a 
splashing  of  the  water  equal  to  that  which  would  be 
caused  by  some  immense  sea-monster,  and  the  bather 
issued  from  the  water,  shivering  from  head  to  foot. 

"  Ough-ugh-ugh  ! "  sputtered  Fred. 

"  Was  it  cold  ?  "  exclaimed  Allie,  with  evident  interest, 
as  he  was  standing  near  by  with  his  coat  and  jacket  off, 
already  prepared,  if  everything  was  favorable,  to  follow 
suit. 

"Cold!  ough-ugh-ugh ! "  shivered  Freddie.     "  Try  it ! " 

"  No  !  I've  no  desire  to,  whatever,  now,''  said  Allie, 
putting  on  his  jacket  again. 

"  I'll  never  do  it  again,  unless  I  have  to,"  said  Freddie. 
"  Oh,  dear !  I  thought  I'd  never  get  on  shore  again,  and 
I  did  not  swim  a  single  stroke,  either." 

A  loud  call  from  John  here  interrupted  the  conversa- 
tion. It  was  quickly  followed  by  another. 

"  I've  got  him  !    come,  quick  ! " 


122  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Allie  hurried  to  his  brother,  while  Freddie  hastened  to 
dry  himself,  and  put  on  the  remaining  dry  clothes  that 
he  had,  for  fear  of  taking  cold;  he  then  hastened  to 
where  the  other  two  boys  were. 

John  had  really  made  a  find.  He  had  taken  three 
large  lobsters,  out  of  one  hole,  beneath  a  very  large  rock, 
and  was  fishing  away,  with  a  small  stick,  for  the  fourth, 
which  he  declared  was  there,  "  because  he  has  bitten  the 
stick  twice." 

If  the  lobster  was  there,  he  refused  to  come  out,  for 
no  amount  of  poking  would  dislodge  him,  so  John  was 
obliged  to  be  content  with  three. 

"  Well !  that's  a  good  beginning,  boys,"  he  exclaimed. 
"  I'm  going  to  try  it  again.  Here,  Allie  !  you  take  these 
on  shore  for  me." 

Allie  took  the  three  up  carefully,  and  carried  them 
quite  a  distance  up  the  beach  and  left  them  there,  near  a 
large  rock,  while  he  ran  back  again,  to  help  John  ~nd 
some  more. 

"What  luck,  John?"  he  cried. 

"  Nothing  yet,"  answered  John. 

"  Here's  one,"  called  out  Freddie.  •'  Come,  quick,  he's 
going  under  this  big  rock." 

Allie  ran  to  the  place  indicated,  and  was  just  in  time 
to  secure  a  large  fellow  that  was  making  fast  time  for 
beneath  a  good-sized  rock  near  by. 

"  That  makes  four,  anyway,"  said  Allie. 

"  Let's  go  on  the  top  of  the  cliff,"  said  Freddie ;  "  I'm 
tired  of  this." 

"  I  should  think  you  would  be,"  replied  Allie.  "  Ain't 
your  clothes  dry  by  this  time  ?  " 

"I  guess  they  are!  I'm  going  to  put  them  on,  any- 
way." 


AN  UNEXPECTED   SPECIMEN.  123 

And  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Freddie  dressed 
himself  again,  and  found  his  clothes,  from  lying  in  the 
hot  sun,  really  quite  dry. 

"  There,  that  feels  better ;  now  I'm  ready  to  go !  Come 
along ! " 

And  together  the  two  boys  ascended  the  hill,  picking 
their  way  along,  slowly,  over  the  rough,  rocky  path- 
way. 

"  There,  if  that  don't  pay  for  all  the  trouble  of  climb- 
ing, I  don't  know  what  does  ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  who  was 
some  steps  in  advance  of  his  brother. 

"  Oh,  Allie !  isn't  it  perfectly  beautiful ! "  cried  Fred, 
in  a  transport  of  delight. 

It  was  really  a  most  lovely  scene  that  spread  itself 
before  the  eager  eyes  of  the  two  boys.  Several  low 
islands  near  them,  rocky  or  slightly  covered  with  vegeta- 
tion, and  the  boundless  horizon  in  the  distance,  every- 
where water.  Far  to  the  left,  several  faint  white  sails, 
like  sea  gulls  on  noiseless  wing,  glided  along  with  full 
sail  and  fair  wind.  Farther  still,  the  occasional  gleam  of 
other  sails  was  to  be  seen.  One  large  fishing  vessel,  off 
to  the  right,  was  making  for  the  very  harbor  where,  back 
of  them,  snugly  reposed  the  North  Star,  whose  topmast 
and  flag  could  still  be  seen.  On  the  distant  right,  a  long 
line  of  low,  dense  smoke  hung  on  the  horizon,  where 
some  steamer,  probably  coming  from  or  going  to  Quebec 
or  Montreal,  had  recently  passed.  Above,  the  sun  shone, 
from  an  almost  unclouded  sky,  with  attenuate  shade  of 
dark  or  light,  as  some  fleecy  vail  of  gossamer  floated 
gently  past,  beneath  its  rays. 

"  Let's  draw  it,  Allie  ! " 

"  Oh,  draw  it !  Freddie,  why,  you  couldn't !  " 

"  But  you  couldj  Allie,  you  draw  ! " 


124  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  I  wouldn't  dare  try.  Keep  still !  Freddie,  see  what 
is  that  big  black  thing  down  there  !  Now  it's  gone ! 
There  it  is  again.  See,  see ;  it's  a  whale  !  Look  ! " 

Freddie  followed  the  direction  of  Allie's  finger,  and 
exclaimed : 

"  Oh,  there  it  is  !  I  see  it.  And  there's  another ;  see, 
quick ! " 

There  were  indeed  two  immense  fellows,  sporting  in 
the  water  just  a  little  way  from  the  island,  one  some 
distance  farther  out  to  sea  than  the  other.  It  was  the 
second  one  of  these  two  monsters  of  the  deep  that  at- 
tracted the  especial  attention  of  the  boys. 

"See  him.  There  he  is.  See  how  near  shore  he  is 
coming ! "  cried  Allie. 

The  whale,  or  rather  grampus,  for  it  was  one  of  the 
latter  species,  —  called  by  the  fishermen  "  herring  hog," 
from  the  fact  that  their  presence  generally  indicates  a 
school  of  these  fish,  upon  which  the  huge  animal  feeds,  — 
was  now  close  in  shore,  and  approaching  still  nearer  at 
each  rise. 

The  black  monster  would  appear  at  the  surface  with  a 
loud  puff  —  as  the  air  escaped  through  its  blow  holes  — 
and  lazily  roll  back  into  the  water,  displaying  in  its 
descent  nearly  or  quite  the  entire  surface  of  his  back ; 
after  a  few  moments  another  loud  puff  —  which  the  boys 
could  distinctly  hear,  even  at  their  distance  from  him, 
and  the  animal  would  go  through  a  similar  movement  as 
it  progressed  through  the  water. 

"  How  close  he  is  to  that  small  island,  just  outside  the 
one  that  we  are  on,"  said  Allie. 

"  Now  he  has  disappeared,"  cried  Freddie.  "  No !  he 
is  going  back  again." 

The  grampus  had  evidently  gone  far  enough  in  one 


AN  UNEXPECTED  SPECIMEN.  125 

direction,  and  had  now  turned  and  was  retracing  his  way 
toward  the  farther  end  of  the  island  in  question. 

"  I  wonder  if  the  boys  have  seen  him  yet  ?  "  asked 
Freddie. 

"  Oh,  no  !  they  can't.  Don't  you  see  that  he's  behind 
the  island  ?  " 

"If  he  goes  beyond  the  point,  can't  they  see  him  ?" 

"  Of  course  they  can,  and  there  he  goes.  I  wish  we 
could  make  the  boys  look  up." 

Freddie  picked  up  a  stone,  and  threw  it  with  all  his 
might  in  the  direction  of  Mason  and  Jack. 

"  I  hope  it  won't  hit  them  ! " 

"No  fear  of  that,"  said  Allie. 

Freddie  looked  amazed,  as  the  stone  that  he  had  fired 
fell  behind  the  cliff,  and  he  could  not  even  see  it  as  it 
struck  the  water  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks. 

"The  cliff  must  be  a  great  deal  higher  than  we  im- 
agine," said  Allie.  "Now  I'll  try  it." 

Allie  met  with  no  better  success  than  his  brother  had, 
and  the  stone  fell  into  the  water  entirely  out  of  sight  of 
the  boys. 

"  I  guess  we'd  better  give  up  trying  to  attract  them ;  but 
see,  the  whale  has  passed  the  island.  The  boys  see  him ! 
There  he  goes  !  "  and  Freddie  fairly  danced  with  pleasure. 

By  this  time  the  grampus  had  passed  from  behind  the 
island  into  full  view  of  all  in  the  cove.  Suddenly  he 
disappeared. 

"  Where  can  he  have  gone,  Allie  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  guess  he  has  gone  to  sea." 

"  What  fun  if  he  would  run  on  to  the  rocks,  near  here, 
somewhere,  where  we  could  see  him." 

"  I  wish  he  would.  I  never  saw  so  big  an  animal,  so 
near  too,  before,  anyway." 


126  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Isn't  he  an  immense  fish,  Allie  ?  " 

"  Whales  are  not  fishes,  Freddie.  I  know  enough  about 
Natural  History  to  know  that,  anyway." 

"  Well,  what  are  they  then  ?  " 

"  Why,  they  are  animals ;  they  belong  to  a  class  by 
themselves,  and  are  called  Cetaceans." 

"  Oh,  my !  I  wish  I  knew  all  about  these  things," 
sighed  Freddie. 

"  I  don't  know  much  about  them,  but  I  know  a  little," 
said  Allie. 

"  There's  the  whale,  again ;  he's  coming  right  in 
toward  shore." 

As  he  re-appeared  upon  the  surface,  both  boys  saw,  at 
once,  that  he  was,  in  reality,  headed  directly  toward  the 
shore,  or  rather  the  rocky  reefs,  on  the  northeast  of  the 
island;  and  inside  the  small  outer  island. 

"Why,  he's  just  inside  the  point,  Allie!  how  can  he 
go  on  without  running  right  on  to  the  rocks  ?  He's 
going  to  turn.  No  !  there  he  goes  right  on." 

The  whale  had  by  this  time  neared  the  outer  of  the 
three  reef  points  of  rock,  on  this  side  of  the  island,  and 
was  fast  approaching  it.  There  was  water  enough  over 
this  reef,  so  that  he  could  completely  pass  it,  even  at 
lower  tide  than  it  was  then. 

A  few  moments  more,  and  the  whale  was  safely  over 
this  reef,  and  sporting  and  blowing  in  the  water  beyond. 
If  he  had  remained  in  this  position  he  could  easily  have 
turned  and  retraced  his  way  back  again.  This  the  boys 
supposed  that  he  would  do ;  but  the  whale  had  no  such 
notion.  The  fish  that  he  was  pursuing,  had,  doubtless, 
gone  on  ahead  of  him,  and,  passing  safely  once  the  high 
and  dangerous  second  reef,  into  the  deep  water  beyond,  lay 
tempting  his  senses  to  the  desperate  feat  of  following. 


AN  UNEXPECTED   SPECIMEN.  127 

The  scene  had  now  become  intensely  exciting.  The 
boys,  below  the  cliff,  had  left  off  their  work  of  lobster 
catching,  and  now  stood  upon  a  high  rock  watching,  with 
as  much  interest  as  the  boys  above. 

Presently  there  was  a  great  splashing  in  the  water. 

"  There  he  is  on  the  reef ! "  cried  Freddie,  almost  in  a 
whisper. 

"  No,  no !  not  yet,"  said  Allie. 

"  I  guess  he  hit  his  nose  on  a  rock ;  and  it  must  have 
hurt  him,  by  the  splashing  that  he  makes." 

"  Perhaps  he  slipped  on  the  kelp !  "  said  Allie,  laugh- 
ing. 

Freddie  looked  rather  red  for  a  moment ;  but  returned 
the  sally  with  wonderful  effect. 

"  Or  perhaps  he  went  lobster  hunting,  and  didn't  find 
any,"  he  returned. 

It  was  now  Allie's  turn  to  look  rather  foolish ;  but  the 
whale  drew  his  attention  again,  so  that  it  did  not  last 
long. 

"I  wish  the  boys  would  come  up  here,  Allie.  I'm 
going  to  try  firing  at  them." 

The  word  firing  reminded  Allie  that  he  had  his  revol- 
ver in  his  pocket,  and,  taking  it  out,  he  fired  a  charge 
into  the  water  over  the  heads  of  the  boys  below. 

The  sound  of  the  shot  attracted  their  attention,  and 
seeing  Freddie  and  Allie  on  the  top  of  the  rocks,  waving 
to  them,  they  soon  scrambled  up  the  other  side  of  the 
hill,  and,  in  a  moment  more,  all  five  boys  stood  together 
on  the  summit  of  the  cliff. 

"  Where  are  your  lobsters  ?  "  asked  Freddie,  the  mo- 
ment the  boys  had  gained  the  top. 

"  Oh,  we  left  them  on  the  beach,"  said  John. 

"  Won't  they  walk  off  ?" 


128  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  I  guess  not !  we  don't  care  if  they  do,  we  can  get 
some  more,  and  it  isn't  every  day  we  can  get  a  chance  to 
see  a  whale  run  on  the  rocks." 

"  Do  you  think  that  he  will  do  that  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Mason  says  so ! "  replied  John.  "  He  says  that  they 
frequently  run  on  to  the  rocks  here,  while  following  the 
herring,  and  that  he  thinks  this  one  will  get  caught  on 
the  reef.  The  tide  is  going  out  fast,  and  will  soon  catch 
him,  if  he  does  not  get  out  of  the  basin  there." 

Meanwhile  the  whale  had  pursued  the  herring  to  the 
very  edge  of  the  reef.  The  water  was  still  deep  enough 
over  the  center  of  the  reef  to  admit  the  passage  of  the 
animal.  At  this  moment  the  whale  approached  the  reef 
at  the  same  time  with  an  immense  wave,  that  made  the 
water  several  feet  deeper  over  the  rocks,  and  in  a  moment 
more  it  was  safely  over  the  barrier,  and  in  deep  water 
beyond. 

"  There !  he's  over  safely,"  said  Freddie. 

A  shout  from  Mason  was  the  only  reply. 

"  Over  safely  ! "  exclaimed  Jack.  "  I  guess  he  is.  He's 
safe  for  twenty  barrels  of  oil,  at  sixteen  dollars  a  barrel." 

Such,  in  fact,  was  the  case.  The  whale  was  now  inside 
the  rocks  which  girt  the  shore  line,  and  there  was  no 
way  for  him  to  get  back,  excepting  by  the  way  he  had 
come.  This  way  was  now  gradually  closing,  by  the  con- 
tinuous fall  of  the  tide,  so  that  the  water  in  which  the 
whale  was.  formed  a  sort  of  a  pond,  with  a  chain  of  rocks 
extending  from  the  island  to  the  main  shore  on  one  side, 
and  the  sand  beach  of  the  land  and  island  on  the  other. 
A  rippling  of  the  water  over  the  reef,  and  the  herring 
passed  out  safely  into  the  sea  again,  leaving  the  whale  a 
prisoner  in  his  own  trap. 

"  Hooray ! "  shouted  Mason.     "  Come  on,  hurry  up  ! " 


AN   UNEXPECTED   SPECIMEN,  129 

"  Where  to  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Home,  to  get  the  men,"  said  Mason,  already  half-way 
down  the  hill  towards  the  boat. 

Jack  rushed  down  to  the  beach  on  the  opposite  side, 
and  was  soon  seen  picking  his  way  around  the  base  of 
the  cliff  with  a  large  string  of  lobsters,  hanging  from  a 
stick,  which  he  held  balanced  over  his  shoulders.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  boat  nearly  as  soon  as  the  others  were  prepared 
to  shove  her  off,  he  jumped  in,  and  in  a  moment  the  boat 
was  spinning  towards  home. 

It  took  but  a  comparatively  short  time  to  reach. the 
landing,  for  which  place  Mason  steered  direct,  and  to  tie 
the  boat,  while  all  hands  jumped  out  at  once.  —  Mason 
started  after  the  men,  while  the  boys  unloaded  their 
treasures  and  carried  them  up  to  the  house.  Mrs.  Mcln- 
tyre  at  once  put  the  big  pot  on  the  stove  and  filled  it 
with  water,  then  she  put  into  it  as  many  lobsters  as  it 
would  hold,  and  weighted  the  cover  down  with  heavy 
stones. 

"  Now,  Mary  ! "  said  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  "  if  you  will  tend 
the  pot,  while  you  do  your  ironing,  I'll  go  out  and  help 
the  men  trim  the  fish." 

"  Twenty  minutes  after  the  water  boils ! "  called  the 
little  woman,  as  she  bustled  off  out  of  the  house,  and 
down  the  hill  to  where  the  men  were  busy  trimming  the 
fish. 

"  Mason  says  that  there's  a  whale  stranded  over  to 
Prestile  ! "  shouted  Mr.  Mclntyre,  as  his  wife  put  in  an 
appearance  at  the  fish-flaker. 

"  Where  are  the  boys !  All  hands  lively  now,  and 
we're  good  for  thirty  barrels  of  oil  before  the  end  of  the 
month." 

The  sound  was  like  electricity.   The  fish  were  trimmed 


130  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

\ 

in  half  an  hour,  when  usually  it  took  two  hours  with 
nearly  the  same  force,  and,  leaving  Mrs.  Mclntyre  to 
trim  the  last  of  the  fat,  all  hands  ran  to  the  boats. 

Mr.  Mclntyre  soon  came  down  from  the  shed,  and 
joined  them  with  a  couple  of  old  rusty  harpoons,  and  a 
stout  coil  of  rope ;  these,  with  an  axe,  he  threw  into  the 
boat,  and  was  off  again  for  some  wood  for  stakes,  and 
when  all  was  ready  the  boat  shoved  off  once  more  for 
the  island. 

The  men  had  taken  the  sail-boat,  so  the  boys  took  the 
row-boat  and  followed  in  it. 

It  was  now  nearly  three  in  the  afternoon,  and,  as  the 
nights  were  long,  the  men  had  plenty  of  time  to  secure 
their  prize  before  the  turn  of  the  tide. 

On  reaching  the  island,  the  boats  were  fastened,  and 
the  men  jumped  ashore  and  ran  eagerly  around  the 
point.  There,  sure  enough,  lay  the  immense  animal, 
fully  aground  on  the  rocks  near  the  end  of  the  sand 
beach  and  still  struggling  feebly  to  escape ;  but  it  was 
impossible.  The  men  set  up  a  shout,  and  rushed  at  once 
for  the  beach  upon  which  the  whale  had  stranded.  The 
tide  was  now  so  low  that  they  could  approach  to  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  monster.  The  men  did  not  mind  the 
water,  however,  but  rushed  at  once  up  to  the  animal  and 
began  to  send  their  harpoons  into  him.  One  was  put 
near  his  head  and  the  other  near  his  tail,  and  driven 
deep  into  the  mass  of  fat  that  formed  the  external  coat. 
When  this  had  been  accomplished,  the  ropes  were  fas- 
tened about  the  head  of  each  harpoon  and  drawn  in 
towards  the  shore.  Here  two  stakes  with  notches  in 
them,  were  driven  firmly  into  the  ground,  opposite  the 
head  of  the  harpoons,  and  the  ropes  fastened  tightly  to 
them.  Thus  was  the  monster  secured. 


AN   UNEXPECTED  SPECIMEN.  131 

The  harpoon  near  the  head  of  the  animal  had  evidently 
struck  some  vital  point,  for  the  blood  soon  began  to  flow 
freely  from  its  mouth  and  nostrils.  The  huge  tail  would 
occasionally  beat  feebly  upon  the  rocks,  but  this  soon 
ceased,  and  with  a  few  convulsive  shivers  the  animal  lay 
motionless. 

"  Well,  boys,  that's  a  good  job  done  ! "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Mclntyre,  wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  brow  with 
an  immense  bandana  handkerchief. 

"I  —  I  —  I  should  say  so  !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the 
men,  an  immense  fellow  with  brawny  arms  and  a  crop 
of  short,  bright  red  hair,  that  stood  up  all  over  the  top 
of  his  head  much  as  if  an  electric  battery  had  been  let 
loose  upon  that  particular  spot.  "  And  —  and  does  we 
go  shares,  sir,  for  him,  or  does  you  pay  us  extra?  we 
didn't  ship  to  go  whaling." 

Mr.  Mclntyre  laughed,  for  he  readily  comprehended 
the  fellow's  meaning. 

"  Which  shall  it  be,  boys  !  shares  or  extra  pay  ?  " 

For  a  few  moments  there  was  a  confusion  of  voices ; 
some  were  for  shares  and  others  for  extra  pay.  Mr. 
Mclntyre  was  a  shrewd  manager,  and  he  saw,  at  once, 
that  the  huge  animal  before  him  was  likely  to  yield  even 
more  oil  than  had  been  at  first  anticipated,  so  he  said  to 
the  men : 

"  Well,  boys  !  I  don't  mind  a  shilling  a  day  more  on 
the  wages  while  we  cut  up  and  try  out  the  blubber.  If 
you  would  rather  have  the  oil,  you  can,  but  you  must 
furnish  your  own  barrels,  try-pots,  and  those  things  ; 
I've  got  enough  to  do  to  find  my  own.  Which  shall 
it  be  ?  " 

The  men  were  quick  enough  to  see  the  philosophy  of 
"  a  bird  in  hand "  being  worth  more  than  "  two  in  the 


132  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

bush,"  and,  knowing  the  impossibility  of  their  ever  being 
able  to  furnish  the  necessary  articles  for  their  work, 
they  readily  assented  to  the  extra  shilling,  so  the  bar- 
gain was  completed. 

It  was  necessary,  now,  to  post  a  watch,  which  in  fact 
needed  all  hands,  to  haul  upon  the  rope,  as  the  tide  came 
in,  and  draw  the  whale  as  much  farther  in  toward  the 
shore  as  it  was  possible  to  get  him,  as  it  would  then  be 
so  much  easier  work  cutting  him  to  pieces.  As  it  was 
impossible  to  draw  such  a  huge  mass  ashore,  the  men 
could  not  work  to  advantage  except  at  low  tide.  Mr. 
Mclntyre  sent  Mason  back  to  the  house  for  supper  for 
himself  and  the  men,  and  then  began  collecting  wood  for 
a  fire,  as  they  would  be  obliged  to  remain  out  a  part  of 
the  night,  and  it  was  already  beginning  to  be  dark  and 
the  air  chilly. 

Much  as  the  boys  wished  to  remain  on  the  island,  and 
watch  the  men,  prudence  forbade,  and  so  all  Returned 
with  Mason  to  the  house. 

By  the  time  they  reached  home,  supper  was  ready. 

Mary  had  boiled  the  lobsters  "  to  a  T,"  and  Mr.  Ready 
had  returned  from  the  schooner  with  a  can  of  peaches 
and  another  of  pears,  and  also  a  large  piece  of  bacon, 
which  he  presented  to  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  and  she  had  cut 
and  fried  several  "  rashers  "  for  the  table.  The  hot  bis- 
cuits were  well  browned,  and  done  completely  through ; 
so  that,  altogether,  there  was  quite  a  display  of  good 
things  for  the  hungry  crowd  that  assembled,  about  half 
an  hour  later,  to  partake  of  the  good  cheer  provided. 

"  Well,  boys  ! "  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  have  you  had  a 
good  time  to-day  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir  ! "  cried  they  all  together. 

"  Bless  their  hearts,"  said  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  "  no  need  to 


AN  UNEXPECTED  SPECIMEN.  133 

ask  them  such  a  question.  Look  at  their  faces,  they  are 
surely  too  sunburnt,  and  dirty,  and  tired  to  leave  any 
doubt,  —  eh,  dears  ?  "  said  the  good  lady.  "  Mary,  don't 
fetch  the  milk  when  there's  lobsters  on  the  table,"  she 
continued.  "  Now,  put  the  pitcher  down,  put  on  a  clean 
apron,  and  come  and  sit  down  at  the  table  with  the  folks, 
for  once-t." 

Mary  did  as  she  was  bid,  and  the  meal  passed  off 
socially  and  very  pleasantly.  In  the  evening  they  had 
more  playing  and  singing,  and  the  company  chatted 
together  until  nearly  nine  o'clock,  when  once  again  it 
was  bed-time,  and  all  sought  their  rooms  for  the  night. 


134  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOW    THE    BOYS    PRESERVED    THEIR    SPECIMENS. 

AS  the  following  day  was  Saturday,  Mr.  Ready  con- 
sented, at  the  desire  of  all  the  party,  to  remain 
where  they  were  that  day  and  the  next,  and  then  start, 
bright  and  early,  if  the  wind  were  favorable,  for  the 
voyage  down  along  the  coast. 

The  boys  hailed  this  decision  with  pleasure,  as  it 
would  thus  give  them  a  chance  to  skin  their  birds,  and 
also  to  prepare  the  other  specimens  which  they  had 
taken  the  day  before,  and  which  lay  about  "cluttering 
up  "  Mrs.  Mclntyre's  house  and  doorway. 

"  I'm  going  to  spend  all  the  day,"  said  Freddie,  "  in 
blowing  eggs.  I'm  going  to  blow  all  that  we  have  got." 

"  Don't  blow  away,"  laughed  Allie,  who,  nevertheless, 
fully  approved  of  his  brother's  scheme,  and  who  intended 
to  accomplish  fully  as  much  though  in  a  somewhat  dif- 
ferent line. 

"Don't  be  afraid  of  that,"  returned  Freddie;  "but 
what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"Oh,  I've  got  about  twenty  birds  to  skin.  Do  you 
think  I  can  do  it  ?  " 

"Oh,  dear,  no ;  not  all  alone." 

"I'm  going  to  teach  Jack  to  skin,  and  he's  going  to 
help  me ;  and  then  John,  when  he  has  pressed  his  flowers 
and  finished  his  work,  will  help  me ;  so  I  guess  we  will 
get  through  with  the  work  together,  somehow." 


THE  BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     135 

"  If  we  do  all  we  want  to  do,  how  busy  we  shall  be," 
said  Freddie. 

Here  Mason  came  around  to  say  that  the  men  had 
already  gone  to  begin  work  on  the  whale,  and  that  the 
boys  could  go  over  with  him,  if  they  wished,  to  the  island. 
It  was  a  great  temptation,  but  there  was  too  much  at 
stake  to  run  the  risk,  and  so  Mason  started  alone,  and 
the  boys  began  to  prepare  for  their  work.  They  had 
hardly  begun,  however,  before  breakfast  was  announced, 
and  a  good  meal  of  broiled  cod,  boiled  eggs,  and  hot 
coffee,  was  set  forth  for  all. 

"I  declare,  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  it  is  worth  coming  way 
to  Labrador  for  such  a  meal  as  this,"  said  Mr.  Taylor ; 
"if  we  only  had  an  old-fashioned  Johnny-cake,  such  as 
my  mother  used  to  make,  this  would  be  the  best  break- 
fast I  had  tasted  for  twenty  years." 

"  My  sakes  alive  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Mclntyre.  "  Mary, 
Mary !  open  the  oven  door,  quick  !  " 

Mary  opened  the  oven  door,  and  straightway  there 
issued  forth  such  a  smell  and  smoke,  as  might  have 
come  from  a  small-sized  charcoal  pit. 

"  Mercy  me  !  "  put  in  the  good  woman,  "  if  biling  them 
eggs  didn't  put  the  oven  entirely  out  of  my  head.  It's 
perfectly  scand'lous.  If  your  mother'd  made  such  a 
thing  as  this,  she'd  know  enough  not  to  tell  on  it,  and 
that's  more  than  I  know." 

The  smoke  was  now  cleared  off,  so  that  Mary  was  able 
to  draw  from  the  oven  a  huge  panful  of  something  that 
was  burned  to  a  crisp.  It  proved  to  be  a  panful  of  corn- 
meal  cakes,  and  it  was  indeed  a  sorry-looking  affair. 

"  Why,  mother ! "  exclaimed  Mary,  "  it's  only  burned 
on  the  top." 

"  Take  a  knife  and  scrape  it  then,"  said  her  mother. 


136  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

A  loud  rasping  noise  was  then  heard,  which  continued 
for  some  minutes. 

"I  guess  that  will  do,  and  be  none  the  worse  for  its 
scorching,  after  all,"  said  Mary,  as  she  placed  on  the 
table  two  large  platefuls  of  corn  bread,  rather  dark- 
colored  on  top  and  bottom,  but  evidently  good  within. 

"Now,  Mr.  Taylor,  'twould  have  been  scand'lous  if 
your  mother  hadn't  done  the  thing  in  a  little  better 
shape  than  that ;  but  if  it  isn't  good,  you  needn't  eat 
it ;  that's  all." 

After  delivering  this  piece  of  information,  or  rather 
this  assertion,  Mrs.  Mclntyre  proceeded  to  pour  out  a 
cup  of  hot  coffee  for  Mr.  Benton. 

"  And  how  did  you  pass  the  day,  yesterday  ? "  she 
asked.  "  You  must  give  an  account  of  yourselves." 

Each  one  then  told  how  he  had  passed  the  day.  Mr. 
Benton  had  remained  home,  or  near  the  house,  all  day, 
resting  after  the  rough  voyage ;  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr. 
Furness  had  been  out  fishing  for  trout,  and  caught  a  fine 
string,  in  a  brook  that  tumbled  down  from  the  neighbor- 
ing hills,  with  a  single  large  fellow  that  turned  the 
scales  at  four  pounds  and  three  ounces ;  Mr.  Jacobs  had 
been  botanizing,  and  had  brought  home  a  box  full  of 
rare  plants,  while  Mr.  Murphy  had  smoked  his  meer- 
schaum, and  wandered  aimlessly  about  among  the  men, 
as  they  were  engaged  in  their  fish  work,  prying  here 
and  there,  into  barrels  and  puncheons,  and  looking  into 
everything  that  he  came  across. 

"  He  don't  seem  to  have  done  much,"  put  in  John, 
"  but  he's  the  cutest  of  the  party,  I  think.  I  guess  he's 
writing  a  book  on  the  subject." 

Mr.  Murphy  turned  rather  red  at  this,  on  John's  un- 
consciously telling  of  his  real  thoughts. 


THE   BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     137 

"  When  you  catch  me  writing  a  book,"  said  Mr.  Mur- 
phy, "just  let  me  know  it,  will  you?  It  will  be 
because  there's  nothing  else  to  do,  I  guess." 

"  Oh !  you  can  help  me  blow  eggs,  if  you  really  want 
something  to  do,"  said  Freddie,  who  began  to  show  signs 
of  weakening  already  on  the  stint  that  he  had  given 
himself. 

"  Thank  you  just  the  same,"  returned  Mr.  Murphy, 
"  at  present  I  prefer  another  cup  of  coffee,  and  more  corn 
cake." 

These  having  been  passed,  no  more  was  said  by  any 
one  at  the  table  for  full  five  minutes. 

At  length  they  were  all  finished,  when  they  arose, 
each  to  go  his  way  for  the  morning. 

Mrs.  Mclntyre  said  that  "  the  boys  often  blows  their 
eggs,  and  we  uses  the  inside  just  the  same,  Master  Ben- 
ton.  So,  if  you  had  just  as  soon,  Mary  will  give  you  a 
bowl,  and  you  can  save  the  insides  of  your  eggs." 

Freddie  readily  agreed  to  this,  and  soon  was  seated 
comfortably  on  the  door-step,  with  several  huge  buckets 
of  eggs  near  him. 

"  Which  shall  I  begin  on  first,  Allie  ?  " 

Allie  was  busy  arranging  him  a  table,  just  inside  of 
the  porch,  upon  which  to  do  the  work  of  skinning  his 
birds,  which  he  had  all  carefully  arranged  on  the  floor 
near  by. 

"  Oh,  take  the  sets  first ;  I  would." 

Freddie  then  procured  another  empty  bucket,  into 
which  he  put  the  loose  top  eggs,  until  he  came  to  the 
sets  which  he  took  out  carefully  and  arranged  in  order, 
close  by  on  the  grass.  He  then  procured  from  his  bag  a 
small  blow-pipe,  with  a  curved  end  and  very  small  tip, 
and  an  egg-drill, — the  latter,  a  small  steel  instrument 


138  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

much  like  some  dentist's  tool,  with  a  conical,  file-like 
tip ;  with  these  he  first  drilled  a  small,  round  hole  in 
the  side  of  the  egg,  and  then  inserting  the  blow-pipe, 
with  the  hole  in  the  egg  downward  over  the  bowl,  he 
blew  through  the  end  of  the  pipe.  The  hole  in  the  egg 
being  larger  than  the  end  of  the  blow-pipe,  the  con- 
tents came  out  with  a  rush,  as  the  breath  forced  it  out, 
from  around  the  sides  of  the  pipe  and  fell  into  the 
bowl.  In  this  way  the  egg  was  soon  blown,  and  then 
a  mouthful  of  water,  blown  in  in  the  same  way  and 
shaken  up  Avell,  thoroughly  rinsed  the  inside.  This 
was  blown  out  on  the  ground,  and  the  egg  carefully 
laid,  holes  down,  on  some  blotting-paper,  bought  for 
the  purpose,  to  drain  and  dry.  After  a  few  trials, 
Freddie  found  that  the  drill  and  blow-pipe  were  too 
small  to  use  well,  so  he  returned  to  his  valise  and  pro- 
cured some  larger  ones;  with  these  he  was  able  to 
proceed  much  more  rapidly,  and  could  easily  clean  three 
in  five  minutes. 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  sighed  Freddie.  "  I'm  busy  for  all  day, 
I  guess  ;  all  the  morning,  anyway." 

Meanwhile  Allie  had  arranged  his  table  and  brought 
out  his  skinning  tools,  and  sat  down  to  work.  His  in- 
struments were  a  large  and  a  small  knife,  —  or  scal- 
pel, as  they  were  called;  a  large  and  a  small  pair  of 
scissors ;  a  pair  of  pincers,  and  several  small  wires  and 
pieces  of  wood.  He  also  had  a  box  of  fine,  white 
Indian  meal,  another  of  plaster  of  paris,  and  a  third 
of  arsenic  with  which  to  poison  the  skin  when  it  had 
been  made.  A  bundle  of  tow  also  lay  beneath  the 
table.  These  things  were  arranged  on  the  table  on  a 
large  newspaper,  and  then  Allie  was  all  ready  to  begin 
work. 


THE  BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     139 

The  first  bird  that  he  began  with  was  the  large  Great 
Black-backed  Gull.  He  handled  it  carefully,  either  by 
the  bill  or  by  the  feet,  so  that  the  plumage  would  not 
get  greasy  or  dirty  from  his  touch,  and  laid  it,  having 
smoothed  down  the  feathers,  upon  the  table,  feet  toward 
him  and  with  the  head  turned  so  that  the  bill  pointed  to 
the  left.  Then  he  filled  the  mouth  and  nostrils  with 
small  wads  of  tow,  to  prevent  the  blood  and  mucous 
from  escaping  upon  the  feathers.  With  a  little  water 
he  first  wet,  then  carefully  scraped  off  with  his  knife 
several  patches  of  blood,  which  had  found  its  way,  al- 
ready, upon  the  feathers  of  the  breast,  and  dried  them 
by  powdering  plaster  of  paris  upon  the  place  and  dusting 
it  off  with  a  small  paint  brush.  Several  applications 
removed  every  trace  of  a  stain,  and  the  clear  white 
feathers  became  as  good  as  new.  It  was  a  beautiful 
skin ;  there  was  hardly  a  stain  upon  it.  Allie  meant  to 
mount  it  for  his  mother. 

After  all  this  had  been  done,  Allie  took  the  smaller 
of  the  two  knives  and,  carefully  parting  the  feathers  of 
the  lower  part  of  the  breast,  he  cut  the  skin  still  more 
carefully,  from  the  bottom  of  the  breast-bone  down  to 
and  through  the  vent.  He  was  particular  to  cut  the 
outer  skin  only,  and  not  to  break  into  the  body  where 
the  intestines  lay,  as  this  would  hinder  him  in  his  work. 
He  then  loosened  and  pushed  the  skin  away  from  the 
flesh  until  the  joint  of  the  leg  appeared,  all  the  time 
sprinkling  plenty  of  white  meal  over  the  cut  places, 
to  soak  up  any  traces  of  blood  or  moisture  that  might 
be  there,  and  prevent  it  from  getting  on  the  feathers; 
then  he  turned  the  skin  of  the  leg  to  the  second  joint, 
and,  cutting  the  tendons,  scraped  the  bone  bare  to 
the  first  joint,  where  he  cut  a  scissure,  leaving  the  leg- 


140  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

bone  on  the  skin.  In  a  similar  manner  he  treated  the 
other  leg;  then" carefully  pushing  the  skin  on  each  side, 
until  he  had  freed  it  beneath  the  tail-bone,  he  cut  this 
off,  and  carefully  removed  the  flesh,  both  above  and 
below  this  bone. 

As  the  bird  was  a  large  one,  it  was  now  necessary  to 
proceed  somewhat  differently  from  what  he  would  have 
done  with  a  smaller  specimen.  From  his  instrument 
case  he  procured  a  couple  of  fish  hooks,  of  moderate  size, 
from  which  the  barbs  had  been  filed  off,  and  tied  them 
tightly  on  either  end  of  a  stout  piece  of  twine.  One  of 
these  he  hooked  into  the  edge  of  the  table,  and  the  other 
into  the  bony  part  of  the  body  of  the  bird,  so  that  the 
latter  hung  downwards  over  the  edge  of  the  table.  He 
now  proceeded  carefully  to  push  back  the  skin,  until  he 
had  reached  the  base  of  the  wings ;  these  he  separated 
from  the  body  at  the  joints.  Pushing  the  skin  still  far- 
ther he  reached  the  neck.  Taking  the  hooks  off  now,  he 
replaced  the  bird  upon  the  table,  with  the  body  hanging 
over  the  edge,  and  grasping  firmly  hold  of  the  bill  he 
pushed  back  the  skin  of  the  neck  to  the  skull  and  then 
drew  it  over.  A  three-cornered  cut  —  one  below  and  one 
on  each  side  above,  to  a  point  just  over  the  entrance  to 
the  brain,  and  a  slight  pull  separated  the  body,  and  left 
the  skull  alone  clear.  Enlarging  the  opening  slightly 
with  his  knife,  he  scooped  out  the  brains  with  a  small 
paddle-like  piece  of  wood.  Turning  the  skin  still  farther 
back,  he  pulled  the  skin  out  of  the  ear  passage,  without 
tearing  it,  and  then  cut  the  thin  film  over  the  eye,  which 
he  then  scooped  out  with  a  piece  of  bent  wire.  A  little 
scraping  removed  most  of  the  rest  of  the  fleshy  parts, 
from  about  the  skull  and  bill:  the  wings  now  alone 
remained  to  be  skinned.  It  was  easy  work  to  remove 


THE  BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     141 

the  skin  to  the  first  joint,  but  Allie  found  that  it  was 
necessary  to  use  the  back  of  one  of  his  knives,  and 
fairly  scrape  the  inner  edge  of  the  bone,  to  the  sec- 
ond joint,  before  the  feathers  of  the  wing  could  be 
removed  from  the  small  grooved  pits,  into  which  they 
grew,  on  this  part  of  the  bone.  He  at  length  accom- 
plished it,  however,  and  scraped  the  meat  carefully, 
on  both  wings,  clear  from  the  second  joint  to  the 
top  of  the  bone.  Small  strips  of  tow,  wound  around 
the  bones,  as  also  on  the  legs,  made  the  parts  as  thick 
as  they  were  before,  and  the  whole  skin  was  ready  for 
the  arsenic. 

The  poison  was  dusted  carefully  all  over  the  skin,  an 
extra  amount  put  on  the  tail,  and  into  the  hollows  of  the 
skin  around  both  legs  and  wings.  A  large  amount  was 
dusted  about  the  base  of  the  skull,  and  the  neck  and 
skin  were  thoroughly  covered.  A  round  wad  of  tow 
filled  out  each  eye  hole,  to  its  proper  place  ;  and  a  small 
stick,  whittled  to  fill  the  hole  of  the  skull,  was  thus  in- 
serted and  also  filled  the  neck,  about  which  portion  it 
was  wound  with  tow,  so  as  almost  to  fill  the  skin.  The 
head  was  then  turned,  the  wings  tied  together ;  the 
whole  shaken  and  dusted  outside. 

The  skin  was  now  nearly  complete,  but  not  quite. 
After  the  dirty  papers  had  been  removed,  it  was  laid 
upon  the  table  again,  the  wads  of  tow  taken  from  the 
mouth  and  nostrils,  the  tongue  removed,  and  the  whole 
body  filled  plump  with  scraps  of  paper  and  some  tow. 
A  thin  piece  of  tough  paper  was  then  bound  around  the 
center  of  the  body,  to  keep  the  wings  at  the  side ;  the 
bill  was  tied  together  at  the  nostrils ;  and  the  legs 
crossed  and  tied  together  at  the  joint.  The  bird  was 
then  as  plump,  well  filled,  and  well  prepared  a  skin, 


142  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

as  would  please  anybody.     Getting  a  little  card  tag  from 
his  box,  Allie  then  wrote  as  follows : 


GREAT   BLACK-BACKED  GULL. 

Lams  marinus,    Linn. 

HARRINGTON    HARBOR,    LABRADOR. 
Collected  by  Allie  Benton. 


Bill  yellow  ;  red  spot  near  tip  of  lower  bill ;  legs  and  feet 
straw  color;  eye  white;  adult.    Shot  June  30,  1883.    No.  210. 


After  all  this  had  been  done,  and  the  tag  fastened  to 
one  of  the  legs,  Allie  took  his  note-book,  repeated  all  the 
remarks  he  had  made,  and  added  all  that  he  could  think 
of  in  regard  to  the  habits  of  the  bird,  leaving  space  to 
add  anything  else  that  he  might  find  worthy  of  note 
afterwards;  then  taking  a  newspaper,  he  laid  the  bird 
upon  it,  folded  it  carefully,  doubled  it  over  and  pinned 
together  the  ends,  with  the  bird's  name  upon  the  out- 
side, and  laid  the  package  away  on  a  shelf  in  the  porch. 

"  There,  our  bird's  done,"  said  Allie,  "  at  any  rate,  and 
I  haven't  been  but  a  few  minutes  over  an  hour." 

"  Good,"  exclaimed  Freddie,  from  the  doorstep ;  "  and 
I've  got  all  the  sets  blown,  and  my  bowl's  so  full  I  can 
hardly  move  it.  Mary,"  he  cried,  "can't  I  have  an- 
other bowl  ?  " 

"  Why  yes,  dear ;  half  a  dozen  of  them,"  said  Mary, 
bringing  another,  and  taking  away  the  one  already  full. 

"  I'm  tired  of  blowing,"  said  Freddie ;  "  I'm  going 
down  to  fish  for  flounders,  and  catch  a  mess  for  din- 
ner," and  the  next  minute  he  had  disappeared  down 
the  slope. 


THE   BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     143 

"  I  guess  I'll  do  all  my  gulls,  first,"  soliloquized  Allie. 
"  Here  comes  Jack  to  help  me." 

Jack  and  Allie  were  soon  at  work  again,  each  with  an 
immense  gull. 

"  I've  got  the  ice  gull,"  said  Allie. 

"  I  wonder  why  they  call  it  '  burgomaster '  ?  "  asked 
Jack. 

"  I  guess  it's  because  he  is  the  chief  amongst  the  gulls, 
and  makes  all  the  others  stand  around,"  replied  Allie. 

"  Perhaps  he's  master  of  the  iceberg,"  said  Jack. 

"  Ain't  he  a  handsome  fellow,  anyway ! " 

"  What  do  you  call  this  one  ?  "  said  Jack. 

"  Oh,  that  is  the  mate  to  the  one  I  did  first,  I  think." 

"  But  he  is  brown  all  over." 

"  Then  it  must  be  a  young  bird." 

"  Are  the  young  birds  always  brown  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  believe  they  always  have  some  brown  on 
them." 

"  Then  what  are  those  other  large  gulls  ?  " 

"  Those  are  the  common  gulls.  We  call  them  simply 
herring  gulls.  The  males  and  females  are  both  nearly 
alike  in  all  these  birds ;  the  young  alone  are  different. 
That  almost  black  gull  is  the  young  of  these  almost  pure 
white  gulls." 

"  Let  us  hurry  up,"  said  Jack,  "  and  see  if  we  can  get 
all  the  gulls  done  before  dinner.  See ;  there  are  eight  of 
them,  and  it  is  now  eight  o'clock." 

The  boys  put  in  their  best  work,  and  by  one  o'clock, 
when  Mrs.  Mclntyre  announced  dinner,  the  gulls  were 
all  completed,  and  the  nine  birds  carefully  wrapped  up, 
and  laid  out  to  dry.  Freddie  had,  meanwhile,  broken 
his  fish  line,  and  so  returned  to  the  egg-blowing  again ; 
while  John,  having  put  into  press  all  his  plants,  has- 


144  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

tened  to  join  the  group  and  express  his  readiness  to 
take  his  hand  at  skinning  birds  after  dinner. 

At  length  dinner  was  disposed  of;  then  the  after- 
noon's work  soon  began. 

"Now  let  us  see,  boys,"  exclaimed  Allie,  as  he  with 
Jack  and  John  pursued  their  way  to  the  porch,  which 
they  had  constituted  their  workroom ;  "  here  are  the  rest 
of  the  birds.  We  have  here  three  razor-billed  auks,  four 
foolish  guillemots  —  " 

"We  used  to  call  them  foolish  Williams,"  said  Jack. 
"  The  name  starts  off  like  the  French  for  William." 

"  Well,  here  they  are  ;  and  two  pigeons  or  pigeon  guil- 
lemots, with  one  young  of  the  same.  Then  here  are  two 
puffins  —  look  at  the  bill  they  have  on  them.  There's 
the  male  eider  duck,  and  there  the  two  females." 

"  What's  this  bird  ? "  picking  up  a  large,  black  duck 
with  white  patches  on  the  wings. 

"  Oh,  that's  a  brass-winged  diver,"  replied  Jack. 

"Why,  let  me  see,"  exclaimed  Allie,  "we  have  this 
bird  at  home,  and  call  it  coot.  We  shoot  it  in  the  fall 
off  the  rocks  at  the  Brant-rock.  Yes,  we  call  it  white- 
winged  coot  to  distinguish  it  from  the  real  sea  coot." 

"  We  have  the  real  sea  coot  here  too,"  said  Jack ;  "but 
we  call  that  the  bottle-nosed  diver.  Then  there  is  one 
all  black,  that  is  the  black  diver." 

"We  call  that  the  scoter  duck,"  said  Allie. 

"  Well,  anyway,  I'm  going  to  skin  this,"  said  Jack,  as 
he  picked  it  out  and  laid  it  one  side. 

"  Sixteen  birds,"  counted  Allie.  "Oh,  dear!  Well,  I 
guess  we  can  do  them  all.  We've  got  all  the  afternoon 
and  all  night  to  do  them  in.  We  did  nine  this  morning." 

The  boys  then  went  to  work  bravely  at  the  task  before 
them. 


THE  BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     145 

Freddie,  meanwhile,  continued  to  blow  eggs. 

Mr.  Benton  lay  down  to  take  an  afternoon  nap. 

Mr.  Jacobs  and  Mr.  Murphy  strolled  off  toward  the 
wharf,  and  were  soon  seen  in  the  boat  rowing  for  the 
island,  probably  to  take  a  look  at  the  whale;  and  Mr. 
Furness  and  Mr.  Taylor  started  off  for  more  flowers, 
lichens,  and  mosses. 

"  Well,  Mary,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  as  she  stood 
with  her  sleeves  rolled  up,  washing  the  dishes,  "what 
shall  we  get  for  supper  ?  " 

Now  Mrs.  Mclntyre  was  apt  to  ask  this  same  question 
of  Mary,  about  this  same  time  quite  regularly  each  day ; 
and  Mary  was  just  as  apt  to  say  nothing,  as  she  knew  too 
well  that  her  mother  had  made  up  her  own  mind  as  to 
what  it  should  be. 

"Did  you  say  that  the  dried  apples  were  all  gone, 
Mary  ?  "  continued  her  mother. 

"Oh,  no,  mother,"  replied  Mary,  still  dutifully  keep- 
ing up  the  apparent  deception. 

"  Well,  don't  you  think  that  some  apple  sauce  would 
go  well  with  hot  biscuits  ?  " 

"  Just  the  thing,  mother.  How  good  you  are  at  con- 
triving." 

Mrs.  Mclntyre  wiped  her  hands  on  the  towel,  smoothed 
her  apron  down,  and  then  said : 

"Well;  suppose  now  that  you  find  the  apples  and 
pick  them  over  and  set  them  to  soak,  while  I  finish  the 
dishes." 

Mary  hurried  off  for  the  apples. 

"  What  a  comfort  that  child  is,"  sighed  Mrs.  Mclntyre. 
"  What  could  I  do  without  her.  What  a  fine  woman  she 
will  make !  How  well  she  planned  that  apple  sauce  for 
supper.  I  never  could  do  nothing  without  her.  She 


146  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

never  shall  marry  that  Ike  Adams  in  this  world.  Drat 
him.  He  ain't  worth  his  salt,  much  less  his  fish.  He 
only  caught  a  little  over  forty  quintals  last  summer.  Bill 
Jerkes  caught  over  sixty  himself,  and  he's  clear  gone  on 
her,  but  she  wouldn't  stir  her  little  finger  to  save  him 
from  drowning,  and  she  sailed  way  down  to  Tub  Island, 
all  alone,  herself,  when  that  Adams  sprained  his  ankle, 
just  to  carry  him  the  arnica  bottle.  Laws  sakes !  It 
does  beat  everything !  When  /  was  a  girl,  your  father 
and  I  had  to  marry,  'cause  there  wa'n't  no  other  young 
fellers  or  young  girls  'round  within  forty  miles." 

"  What  did  you  say,  mother  ?  "  asked  Mary,  innocently 
enough,  just  then  coming  up  the  cellar  stairs. 

"  Mind  your  work,  you  idle  hussy ! "  said  her  mother. 

Mary  stared  in  perfect  amazement,  at  being  thus  rudely 
answered,  and  in  her  surprise  dropped  the  pan  of  apples 
all  over  the  floor. 

"  There,  you  stupid  thing,"  and  Mrs.  Mclntyre  flung  her 
apron  over  her  face,  and  sat  down  in  the  chair,  and  cried. 

"What  is  it?  What's  the  matter,  mother?"  ex- 
claimed Mary  in  her  most  pitying  tones,  as  she  rushed 
up  to  her  mother  and  put  her  arms  around  her  neck. 

"  Do  you  see  that  boat  over  yonder  ?  " 

Mary's  tone  changed  in  an  instant,  as  she  turned  and 
looked  out  of  the  window. 

"  Why,  that's  Ike  Adams'  boat." 

"  Well,  you  needn't  tell  me  that ;  I  know  it." 

"  What's  he  coming  to-day  for  ?  "  said  Mary. 

"  He's  coming  to  ask  your  father  —  " 

"  Sh-sh,  mother.  He's  coming  to  ask  father  if  he  can 
help  cut  up  the  whale.  I'll  go  and  tell  him  that  they're 
over  to  the  island,"  and  away  Mary  went  on  her  unsel- 
fish errand. 


THE  BOYS  PRESERVE    THEIR   SPECIMENS.     147 

"  I  shall  have  to  pick  over  them  apples  myself/'  said 
Mrs.  Mclntyre.  "  Seems  just  as  though  I  always  had 
everything  to  do,  and  nobody  to  help  me ; "  and  the  busy 
woman  started  about  her  work,  by  this  time  in  a  quite 
happy  frame  of  mind. 

At  six  o'clock  came  supper.  Everybody  was  ready  for 
it.  Freddie  had  finished  blowing  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
three  eggs,  and  was,  to  use  his  own  expression,  "  entirely 
blown  out."  Under  Allie's  guidance,  only  four  of  the 
birds  remained  to  be  skinned,  —  and  these  the  four  fool- 
ish Williams,  as  Jack  still  persisted  in  calling  them. 
Mr.  Furness  and  Mr.  Taylor  had  returned  with  their 
boxes  full  of  flowers,  and  of  lichens,  with  a  few  mosses. 
Mr.  Jacobs  and  Mr.  Murphy  had  arrived  from  the  island, 
and  reported  the  work  there  on  the  whale  as  going  on 
rapidly.  Mr.  Jacobs  also  brought  back  a  large  pailful  of 
seaweeds,  and  some  were  most  beautiful  and  delicate. 

"  I  shall  spend  my  evening  mounting  them,"  said  he. 
"  I  think  that  I  have  a  good  many  varieties." 

Mr.  Murphy  had  picked  up  a  quantity  of  star-fish,  and 
several  of  a  species  of  holothurian,  like  the  sea-cucumber, 
only  they  were  red,  and  one  of  the  fishermen,  he  said, 
called  them  sea-cherries.  They  were  small,  round,  and 
red,  and  had  a  sort  of  bud  on  one  end  of  them,  from 
which  they  extended  their  feelers  or  tentacles,  when  in 
the  water  and  undisturbed. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  I  suppose  you  are  all 
glad  that  to-morrow  is  Sunday  ?  " 

All  heartily  assented  to  this  observation,  as  they  sat 
down  to  supper. 

"  I  hope  the  gentlemen  will  have  enough  to  eat,"  said 
Mrs.  Mclntyre.  "  I  can  cook  some  eggs  in  a  few  minutes, 
if  anybody  would  like  them,"  she  said. 


148  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

As  no  one  seemed  to  wish  anything  else,  the  supper 
proceeded  in  silence. 

When  all  were  finished,  the  dishes  cleared  away,  and 
all  the  work  done,  it  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  while  a 
more  weary  household,  perhaps,  never  lay  dowu  to  rest, 
—  at  least  so  it  seemed  to  each  one. 


SUNDA  Y.  149 


CHAPTEE  X. 

SUNDAY. 

SUNDAY,  at  last !  sweet,  pleasant,  Sunday.  What  a 
delight,  and  what  a  rest.  The  day  opened  with  the 
sun  shining  clear  and  bright,  —  from  almost  unclouded 
sky,  and  a  slight  wind  blowing  from  the  southeast ;  so 
slight  was  the  breeze  that  it  barely  ruffled  the  bosom  of 
the  calm  water  pf  the  harbor,  yet  as  they  looked  out  of 
the  door,  all  felt  it  oil  their  cheeks,  cool,  balmy,  and  ex- 
hilarating. 

"  What  a  lovely  day ! "  exclaimed  Allie ;  "  and  it  is 
Sunday,  too  —  that's  the  best  of  it." 

"  We  can  rest,  and  won't  have  any  church  to  go  to," 
put  in  Freddie. 

"  What  did  you  say  about  church  ? "  asked  a  voice 
from  inside,  that  the  boys  recognized  to  be  that  of  Mrs. 
Mclntyre. 

"  No  church  to  go  to,  hey !  does  ye's  think  us  to  be  all 
heathens,  here  ?  Well,  we's  not  then." 

"  Where  does  the  family  go  to  church  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Benton. 

"  Oh,  down  to  the  Lamb  Cove,  here,  about  eight  mile, 
sir  ! " 

"  And  is  there  really  a  church  there  ?  "  inquired  Mr. 
Benton. 

"  Oh,  certainly,  sir !  There's  a  fine  building  there,  it 
has  been  there  now  for  a  dozen  years,  odd,  sir ;  and  we 
goes  every  pleasant  Sunday,  when  the  wind  is  right." 


150  IV RECK  ED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Is  the  wind  right  to-day  ?  " 

"  Not  just,  sir  ! "  said  Mrs.  Mclntyre.  "  It's  south- 
west, and  we  want  to  go  in  pretty  near  that  direction." 

"  Do  you  think  that  anybody  will  go  ?  " 

"I  can't  just  tell,  sir,  but  the  boys  and  their  father 
might;  it's  not  far,  and  a  long  tack  and  a  short  tack 
would  bring  them  there  in  time  for  the  service." 

"  What  is  the  nature  of  the  service  ?  " 

"  Oh,  'tis  Church  of  England,  sir." 

"Indeed?" 

"  Yes,  sir !  A  regular  minister  is  sent  down  every  year, 
unless  the  same  wishes  to  continue,  as  he  often  does, 
from  Montreal  or  Quebec,  —  I  can't  just  tell  which,  the 
boy  will  know — from  the  college  there,  sir ;  and  he  takes 
charge  of  the  work  for  the  year." 

"  Tell  us  more  of  this,  good  woman,"  said  Mr.  Benton. 

"Oh,  I  can't,  sir:  but  the  boy  will  know.  You  see 
the  minister  has  his  headquarters  at  Lamb  Cove.  There, 
there  is  a  big  settlement,  as  many  as  thirty  houses,  and 
nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  peoples.  They  has,  helped 
by  the  Canadian  government,  built  a  church  and  a  par- 
sonage there,  and  the  minister,  every  so  often,  —  once  a 
month  each  way,  sir,  I  believe  —  takes  a  trip,  just  to 
eastward,  and  then  to  westward,  reads  the  service  along 
at  the  houses  where  he  comes,  and  baptizes  the  children." 

"  And  so  the  people  go  to  hear  him  at  Lamb  Cove  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Yes,  sir !  They  often  comes,  of  a  good  day,  sir,  from 
twenty  miles  each  way.  They  all  meets  at  Lamb  Cove 
of  a  Sunday,  and  there  we  learn  all  the  news." 

"  Oh,  that's  what  you  alwaj^s  go  to  church  for,"  laughed 
Mr.  Murphy,  "  to  learn  the  news  ?  " 

"And  we  likes  to  know  what  our  neighbors  are  doing, 


SUNDAY.  151 

sir,  as  well  as  you  folks  in  the  States  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Mclntyre,  with  considerable  spirit. 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Murphy,  who  felt  that  he  was 
not  quite  understood.  "  I  bit  my  own  nose  off  that  time," 
whispered  he  to  Mr.  Taylor,  who  was  standing  near. 

"  That's  a  spirited  animal,"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 

At  this  moment  the  billy  goat,  which,  with  all  the 
ether  animals,  had  been  turned  out  to  feed  upon  the 
sward,  in  front  of  the  house  —  rushed  frantically  across  the 
lawn,  in  front  of  the  door,  and,  lowering  his  head,  gave 
the  bull,  which  was  feeding  quietly  on  the  other  side  of 
the  lawn,  a  sudden  and  violent  buck  in  the  ribs. 

"  Do  you  refer  to  the  lady  or  the  goat  ?  "  whispered 
back  Mr.  Taylor,  winking  his  eye  very  hard  meanwhile 
at  Mr.  Murphy. 

"  Either  you  choose  to  make  it ! "  quietly  responded  Mr. 
Murphy,  with  a  faint  chuckle. 

"  I'll  take  compassion  on  the  one,  and  say  the  animal," 
said  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  Very  spirited !  yes,  so  I  perceive.  A  little  too  much 
so  for  his  own  comfort  and  convenience,"  Mr.  Murphy 
replied.  "  See  for  yourself ! " 

The  attention  of  all  was  now  turned  to  the  bull,  who 
had  turned  upon  his  assailant,  and  was  literally  driving 
him  backwards,  all  over  the  ground. 

"  Why  doesn't  he  toss  him  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"  He's  young  yet,  and  don't  know  that  he  is  really  big 
enough  to,  I  suppose,"  answered  Allie. 

"Won't  he  hurt  him?" 

"  Oh,  no  ! "  said  Mason,  who  at  that  moment  appeared 
in  the  doorway.  "They  often  play  together  in  that  way 
for  hours.  I  have  stood  and  watched  them,  and  laughed 
until  I  cried." 


152  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Which,  Mason  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"  Both,"  said  Mason,  good-humoredly. 

It  was,  indeed,  curious  to  watch  the  two  animals  ma- 
neuver. 

"  They  plays  together  like  children ! "  said  Mrs.  Mcln- 
tyre,  looking  over  the  boys'  shoulders.  "  I  often  wonders 
that  the  billy  don't  get  hurted,  but  he  never  seems  to 
have  yet." 

"  Here  comes  father  ! "  said  Mason. 

"  Will  ye  go  to  the  Cove  to-day  ?  "  screamed  Mrs.  Mc- 
Intyre,  at  the  top  of  her  voice ;  so  loud,  indeed,  that 
Freddie  ducked  his  head,  suddenly,  much  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  rest  of  the  boys. 

In  a  moment  Mr.  Mclntyre  had  arrived  within  answer- 
ing distance,  and  responded  sharply : 

"  S'pose  we  might's  well !  Would  some  or  all  of  you 
gentl'm'n  like  to  go  ?  Can  all  go !  plenty  room  ! " 

All  thought  that  they  would  like  to  go,  and  so  hurried 
into  the  house,  the  more  eagerly  as  they  heard  Mrs. 
Mclntyre  calling  them  to  breakfast,  to  prepare  for  the 
sail,  though  there  were  several  hours  before  them. 

The  breakfast  consisted  of  the  usual  hot  rolls,  coffee, 
and  boiled  eggs,  with  the  unusual  course  of  ham  and 
baked  beans.  It  took  the  guests  a  long  time  to  finish 
their  breakfast  that  morning.  Certainly  no  one,  know- 
ing the  "bill  of  fare,"  would  wonder  for  a  moment  at 
that. 

After  breakfast  an  hour's  ramble  about  the  house, 
then  a  few  touches  upon  the  toilet,  and,  at  the  announce- 
ment that  the  boat  was  at  the  wharf  and  Mr.  Mclntyre 
was  ready  for  those  who  were  going  with  him  to  church, 
all  flocked  to  the  landing. 

"  Here  we  are  !  "  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  all  ready  to  go  any- 


SUNDA  Y.  153 

where  that  you  might  please,  —  as  long  as  this  pleasant 
weather  lasts." 

"Get  right  in,"  replied  Mr.  Mclntyre. 

The  boat  was  a  large  one,  and  there  was  plenty  of 
room.  It  was  one  of  the  kind  that  the  fishermen  called 
"  Yankee  barges,"  and  was  very  wide  and  deep  for  its 
length,  and  with  five  apartments  or  compartments,  so 
that  there  were  six  seats,  besides  the  two  end  pieces. 
The  center  partition  contained  the  mainmast  and  was 
filled  with  huge  rocks  for  ballast.  Her  foremast  stood 
in  the  rear  part  of  the  covering  of  the  prow,  and  both 
ends  of  the  boat  were  peaked  to  a  point,  though  the 
stern  was  not  as  sharp  as  the  bow.  Such  was  the  boat 
the  boys  now  entered. 

"  Plenty  of  room.  Stow  yourselves  away  wherever  you 
want  to,  only  leave  me  room  at  the  tiller,  and  look  out 
for  your  heads  when  the  boom  jibes,"  shouted  Mr.  Mcln- 
tyre. 

In  they  all  tumbled,  aiid  soon  had  occupied  the  seats 
pretty  completely. 

"  Always  room  for  one  more  ! "  continued  the  good- 
natured  fisherman,  as  a  figure,  much  like  that  of  a  woman 
bundled  up  for  a  journey,  was  seen  hurrying  towards  the 
boat,  and  calling  lustily  for  them  to  wait. 

"  Why,  that's  Mary ! "  exclaimed  Mason.  "  She  ain't 
going,  is  she  ?  " 

"  It  looks  some  like  it,  to  see  the  duds  she's  got  on," 
said  Mr.  Mclntyre. 

"  Of  course  she's  going ! "  said  Mary,  by  that  time  hav- 
ing reached  the  boat,  "  if  she  wants  to." 

"  Here's  a  seat,"  cried  Jack,  very  gallantly,  "  and  a  good 
one,  too ;  you've  got  the  mainmast  for  a  back,  and  I'm  on 
the  other  side." 


154  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Humph,  sir ! "  said  Mary,  straightening  herself  and 
laughing.  "  And  thinks  ye  the  likes  of  ine  can't  choose 
her  company,  sir?  And  as  for  back,  I'm  not  so  lazy 
and  good-for-nothing  as  to  be  obliged  to  be  a-hunting  up 
something  to  lean  on  all  the  time." 

The  laugh  was  loud  on  all  sides,  and  Jack  looked 
rather  sheepish  as  he  sat  down  again. 

"  Come,  hurry  in !  Don't  stand  there  talking  all  day ! " 
exclaimed  Mr.  Mclntyre. 

Mary  hurried  in,  and,  though  several  offered  her  a  seat, 
took  the  very  one  next  to  Jack  that  she  had  just  been 
scolding  about. 

"  I  believe  you're  right,  after  all,  Master  Jack,"  whis- 
pered Mary. 

This  confidence  completely  captured  the  young  man 
who  immediately  began  a  very  animated  conversation, 
upon  various  unimportant  topics,  with  his  fair  com- 
panion. The  Benton  boys  amused  themselves  by  watch- 
ing the  birds,  of  which  a  large  number  —  principally 
gulls  and  tern  or  sea-swallows  —  were  in  constant  motion 
above  and  around  the  boat,  while  the  elder  gentlemen 
arranged  themselves  as  comfortably  as  they  could,  on 
their  seats,  and  prepared  to  enjoy  the  sail.  At  length 
all  were  satisfactorily  settled,  and  the  boat  glided  out  of 
the  harbor  into  the  rougher  waters  of  the  sea  itself.  The 
little  boat  fairly  spun  along,  as  the  wind  filled  her  sails, 
with  her  side  bent  close  to  the  foaming  caps  of  water 
through  which  she  passed. 

Her  motion  was  somewhat  different  from  that  to  which 
the  party  had  recently  been  accustomed  in  the  huge  North 
Star  —  huge  compared  to  the  little  craft  that  they  now 
occupied ;  and  most  of  the  party  seemed  thoroughly 
pleased.  The  Benton  boys  alone,  in  spite  of  Allie's 


SUNDA  Y.  155 

assertion,  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  morning,  that  he  was 
glad  it  was  Sunday,  appeared  to  long  for  their  guns,  as 
large  white-winged  gulls  flew  by  them,  within  shot,  and 
even  seemed  to  mock  them  with  their  presence.  Mason 
declared  solemnly,  that  they  "  knew  that  it  was  Sunday 
and  that  there  were  no  guns  on  board." 

Several  times  they  passed  close  by  a  brood  of  young 
ducks,  with  the  old  mother  serenely  swimming  in  the 
waters  near  by.  The  sea-pigeons,  too,  seemed  unusually 
abundant,  and  the  boys  —  in  fact  all  —  admired  the 
adroitness  with  which  they  dived  and  reappeared  again, 
upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  in  some  totally  unexpected 
place  —  often  on  the  very  opposite  side  of  the  boat.  One 
clear  white  tern,  with  a  black  cap  on  his  head,  followed 
them  for  nearly  a  mile,  performing  the  most  skillful 
evolutions  of  the  wings  that  they  had  ever  beheld,  and 
chattering  meanwhile  like  the  rattling  of  an  anchor 
chain.  Mason  threw  out  to  him  a  small  piece  of  fish 
that  he  found  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  but  he  took 
no  notice  whatever  of  it.  A  moment  later  an  immense 
gull,  which  had  been  hitherto  unnoticed,  swooped  down 
from  a  great  height  and  settled  in  the  water  just  astern 
of  the  boat. 

"The  gull  took  it,  anyway,  if  the  tern  didn't,"  said 
Mason.  "We  often  catch  them  in  that  way,  with  a 
baited  fish-hook." 

The  boat  proceeded  on,  meanwhile,  past  several  points 
of  land  on  which  houses,  though  never  more  than  one  or 
two,  were  situated,  and  past  innumerable  small  islands, 
through  intricate  coves  and  channels,  where  often  the 
boys  could  almost  have  touched  the  shore  on  either  side 
with  the  oars,  close  by  huge  rocks,  once  over  a  shallow 
where  two  or  three  times  they  thought  they  were  about 


15G  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

to  run  aground;  but  the  water  was  deeper  than  it 
looked,  and  soon  they  were  sailing  clear  of  all  these 
again,  and  had  come  in  full  view  of  the  Cove. 

"  Here,  that's  Lamb  Cove  ! "  remarked  Mr.  Mclntyre. 
"  See  all  the  houses  ?  " 

There  was  a  deep  indentation  of  the  coast  line,  and  they 
had  just  passed  the  line  of  the  outer  point ;  gradually, 
house  after  house  appeared,  soon  the  bottom  of  the  cove 
could  be  seen,  and  then,  as  they  rounded  the  point,  the 
houses  of  the  opposite  side  came  to  view.  There  was  a 
small  hill  with  a  flagstaff  upon  it,  from  which  fluttered 
a  small  red  flag  with  large  white  letters  which  they  soon 
made  out  to  read  BETHEL. 

"They  always  put  up  the  flag  half  an  hour  before 
church,  "  said  Mr.  Mclntyre. 

"  What  is  that  for  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Murphy. 

"  It  is  an  old  custom,  sir ;  the  flag  is  always  taken  down 
when  church  begins.  People  can  come  as  long  as  the  flag 
flies,  but  it  is  too  late  for  them  after  it  is  taken  down. 
We  don't  like  folks  late  to  church,  sir ;  and  they  seldom 
are.  They  can  come  in  at  any  time,  but  it  disturbs  the 
meeting,  sir,  and  they  don't  like  to  do  that." 

The  boat  was  soon  at  the  wharf,  and  Mr.  Mclntyre 
and  his  guests  all  ascended  the  slope  and  proceeded  at 
once  to  the  church,  leaving  Mason,  with  a  number  of 
other  boys  of  his  age,  to  fasten  the  boat  and  approach 
at  his  leisure. 

Lamb  Cove  was  a  charming  little  village.  The  harbor 
was  shaped  somewhat  like  the  smaller  end  of  an  egg, 
having  high  hills,  at  the  base  of  which  nestled  two  or 
three  white  houses,  on  the  left,  with  the  main  village,  of 
perhaps  twenty  or  thirty  houses  on  the  right,  on  which 
side  the  land  was  only  about  one-half  as  high  as  it  was 


SUNDA  Y.  157 

opposite.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  cove  was  a  small  hill, 
upon  which  was  the  flagstaff,  and  in  the  center  of  the 
group,  between  the  houses  and  the  hill,  and  a  little  way 
farther  back  of  both,  stood  the  church  —  an  appropriate 
little  building,  with  a  very  small  steeple-like  top,  and 
painted  white,  like  most  of  the  other  houses. 

By  this  time  the  party  had  reached  the  church,  and 
entered. 

It  was  a  small  building,  made  entirely  of  wood,  and 
not  even  finished  inside;  the  beams  and  rafters  being 
in  their  primitive  state.  The  pulpit  was  small,  but 
neat,  and  occupied  the  center  of  the  room  opposite 
the  door.  The  seats  were  simply  a  double  row  of  set- 
tees, ranged  along  either  side  of  the  broad  central  aisle. 
Three  or  four  hymn  books  and  an  occasional  brown- 
covered  Bible  lay  in  each  seat,  while  a  small  organ  occu- 
pied the  head  of  the  right-hand  tier  of  seats,  just  below 
the  pulpit. 

The  house  was  pretty  full,  when  this  unusually  large 
number  of  visitors  arrived,  and  the  minister  was  just  as- 
cending the  pulpit.  Mr.  Mclntyre  and  his  guests  ranged 
themselves  upon  the  two  front  seats  of  the  left  row,  and 
quietly  waited  for  the  services  to  begin. 

After  the  seats  were  well  filled,  with  a  congregation  of 
nearly  one  hundred  people,  including  the  children,  the 
services  began.  They  were  plain,  simple,  and  such  as 
best  suited  the  congregation.  The  audience  seemed 
devout  and  sincere  in  their  devotions,  and,  after  the 
service,  even  the  guests  expressed  their  edification  at 
the  good  sense  of  the  minister  and  the  evident  apprecia- 
tion of  his  hearers.  The  text  chosen  was  appropriate, 
and  was  from  the  book  of  John,  23d  chapter,  3d  verse : 
"Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a  fishing.  They 


158  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

say  unto  him,  We  also  go  with  thee. "  And  from  the 
book  of  Matthew,  4th  chapter,  18th  and  19th  verses : 
"  And  Jesus  walking  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw  two  breth- 
ren, Simon,  called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother,  casting 
a  net  into  the  sea :  for  they  were  fishers.  And  he  saith 
unto  them :  Follow  thou  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers 
of  men." 

He  spoke  of  the  similarity  of  the  present  with  those 
of  the  Bible  times,  and  of  the  present  occupation  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Lamb  Cove  with  those  of  Galilee,  in  re- 
spect to  the  manner  in  which  they  earned  their  food.  He 
told  them  that  the  appeal  was  as  strong  now  as  it  was 
then,  for  them  to  prevail  over  their  fellow-men,  and  turn 
them  from  the  errors  of  their  ways ;  that  their  life  here 
was  one  of  hardship  and  toil,  but  that  there  was  a  life 
beyond  as  boundless  as  the  deep  blue  ocean,  to  which 
every  one  was  going,  and  in  which  every  one  must  render 
an  account  of  his  stewardship  while  here  upon  earth. 
He  told  them  that  the  further  exhortation  to  follow  Him 
was  as  full  of  meaning  now  as  it  had  been  when  it  was 
given,  and  that  now  was  the  time  for  them  to  decide  as 
to  whom  they  would  serve.  The  appeal  ended,  the  good 
man  gave  out  that  noble  old  anthem  of  Kirke  White's, 
which  should  be  on  the  lips  and  in  the  hearts  of  every 
young  boy  and  girl  in  America. 

"  The  Lord  our  God  is  clothed  with  might, 

The  winds  obey  His  will ; 
He  speaks,  and  in  His  heavenly  height, 
The  rolling  sun  stands  still. 

"  Rebel,  ye  waves  — and  o'er  the  land 

With  threatening  aspect  roar ! 

The  Lord  uplifts  His  awful  hand, 

And  chains  you  to  the  shore. 


SUNDA  Y.  159 

"  Howl,  winds  of  night !  your  force  combine ! 

Without  His  high  behest, 
Ye  shall  not,  in  the  mountain  pine, 
Disturb  the  sparrow's  nest. 

"  His*voice  sublime  is  heard  afar, 

In  distant  peals  it  dies ; 
He  yokes  the  whirlwinds  to  His  car, 
And  sweeps  the  howling  skies. 

"Ye  nations,  bend  —  in  reverence  bend; 

Ye  monarchs,  wait  His  nod, 
And  bid  the  choral  song  ascend 

To  celebrate  our  God." 
\ 

"  Well,  well ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  after  the  meeting  was 
over,  "  that  really  made  me  feel  homesick.  To  come  way 
up  here  and  hear  that  good  old  hymn,  that  my  mother 
taught  me  when  I  was  young;  it's  the  first  time  I  have 
heard  it  for  years.  Such  a  service  is  worth  more  than 
half  or  all  the  big  churches  and  rich  audiences  in  New 
York  and  Boston  put  together." 

"  Indeed  it  is  ! "  said  Mr.  Benton ;  "  but  here  comes  the 
minister,  and  I  think  that  Mr.  Mclntyre  is  about  to  in- 
troduce us." 

It  was  as  Mr.  Benton  had  observed.  Mr.  Mclntyre 
and  the  clergyman  approached,  and  the  latter  was  in- 
troduced to  all  of  the  party.  Mr.  Worcester,  for  that 
was  his  name,  had  lived  on  the  coast,  with  his  family, 
for  two  years,  and  intended  to  remain  until  the  following 
spring,  when,  he  said,  he  should  return  to  his  home  in 
England.  He  was  a  very  cordial  gentleman,  and  urged 
the  party  to  come  home  with  him  and  dine. 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  being  too  many  ! "  said  he  to  Mr. 
Benton.  "  We  have  room  for  twice  the  number,  and  very 
glad  Mrs.  Worcester  will  be,  I  assure  you,  to  see  some- 


100  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

body  from  America.  We  think  a  great  deal  of  both  the 
country  and  the  people  living  there, "  added  he,  with  a 
pleasant  smile. 

A  nod  from  Mr.  Mclntyre,  signifying  that  it  was  all 
right,  and  the  party  proceeded,  under  Mr.  Worcester's 
guidance,  to  the  parsonage.  A  cozy  little  white  cottage, 
not  far  off,  nestled  at  the  feet  of  a  hugh  bowlder,  which 
was  overgrown  and  grown  about  with  vegetation  and 
evergreens  of  all  varieties  —  while  the  low,  distant  hills 
filled  the  background. 

The  party  found  Mrs.  Worcester  smiling,  ready  to 
welcome  them,  having  received  warning  of  their  approach 
through  a  messenger  of  her  husband's.  The  table  was 
already  being  laid,  and  there  was  every  appearance  of  a 
cordial  reception. 

"  We  make  no  apologies,"  said  Mrs.  Worcester,  "  for 
anything  that  we  have  or  give,  for  it  is  always  the  same 
—  the  best  we  have  —  and  no  one  can  ask  more.  " 

This  modest  little  introduction  put  everybody  at  ease, 
at  once,  and  prepossessed  every  one  in  favor  of  their  host 
and  hostess. 

After  dinner  was  served  and  the  table  removed,  the 
party  sat  and  chatted  pleasantly  until  two  o'clock,  when 
Mr.  Worcester  was  obliged  to  attend  Sunday  school. 
Most  of  the  party  followed  him  back  to  the  churchj  the 
rest  remained  at  home  with  Mrs.  Worcester  and  amused 
themselves  in  one  way  or  another,  about  the  house,  which 
was  thrown  open  to  them,  while  Mr.  Benton  sought  re- 
pose in  a  nap,  in  one  of  the  rooms  which  the  good  lady 
placed  at  his  convenience,  and  Mr.  Ready  took  possession 
of  the  lounge  in  the  dining-room.  The  latter  was  soon 
in  the  midst,  apparently,  of  sweet  repose,  as  the  strange 
sounds  issuing  regularly  and  somewhat  hoarsely  from  his 


SUNDA  Y.  161 

nasal  member  gave  evidence.  Mrs.  Worcester,  herself,  also, 
retired  and  sought  to  wear  away  the  afternoon  in  a  nap. 

At  length  supper  was  announced,  but  at  the  same  time 
Mr.  Mclntyre  proposed  starting  for  home.  To  this  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Worcester  would  by  no  means  consent.  They 
must  stay  to  supper,  at  any  rate,  and  then  the  house  was 
at  their  disposal  for  the  night  and  the  following  day 
also.  Mrs.  Worcester  begged  her  guests  to  remain  over 
the  morrow  and  take  a  trip  about  the  place,  and  her 
good  husband  urged  it  also,  and  offered  to  take  them 
about  and  show  them  around  himself. 

After  a  consultation  with  Mr.  Ready  and  Mr.  Mclntyre, 
it  was  determined  to  remain  to  supper,  but  not  to  stay 
longer,  as  it  might  be  that  the  vessel  would  have  to  go 
on  a  trip  "  down  the  coast,"  and  it  would  not  do  to  stay 
from  her  too  long.  This  decided  the  point,  yet  many 
were  the  protests  issued  by  the  kind  host  and  hostess, 
who  wished  heartily  to  prolong  the  stay  of  their  unex- 
pected but  pleasant  companions. 

The  supper  was  as  relishable  a  meal  as  the  dinner 
had  been,  though  it  was  made  up  of  mostly  cold  articles. 
A  brace  of  cold  roast  ducks  and  a  large  dish  of  apple- 
sauce, occupied  one  end  of  the  table,  while  a  plate  of 
cods'  tongues  was  at  the  other  end;  these,  with  bread 
and  butter,  tea  and  milk,  and  a  large  plate  of  ginger 
crackers,  constituted  the  repast. 

"It's  a  cold  crust  that  we  have  to  offer,"  said  Mrs. 
Worcester. 

"  A  cold  crust  is  much  better,  to  my  mind,  than  a  hot 
one,"  replied  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Were  you  here  to-morrow  you  might  have  your  ducks 
hot,  at  least,"  remarked  Mr.  Worcester. 

"  On  that  point,  also,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  determined  to 


162  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

be  gracious  in  the  extreme,  "  cold  meats  are  always  pref- 
erable toward  night." 

"  Were  you  in  the  States,"  and  Mrs.  Worcester  smiled 
comically,  "you  might  have  English  breakfast  tea  in- 
stead of  a  mixture  of  whatever  some  trader  might  see 
fit  to  sell  you." 

"  Ah  —  hem  —  "  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  my  good  lady,  you 
mistake,  a  breakfast  tea  would  never  do  for  supper." 

It  is  uncertain  how  far  Mr.  Benton  would  have  carried 
his  gallantry,  or  to  what  extent  it  might  have  been  put 
to  the  test,  had  not  at  that  moment  a  loud  knocking  at 
the  door  attracted  the  attention  of  all  at  the  tables. 
Upon  Mr.  Worcester's  arising  and  opening  the  door,  it 
was  found  that  one  of  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  vil- 
lage, passing  by  his  nets,  set  near  an  angle  of  the  rocks, 
quite  close  to  one  of  the  points,  had  discovered  a  pair  of 
fine  trout  entangled  within  its  meshes ;  knowing  of  the 
arrival  at  the  house  of  his  pastor,  he  had  hastened  to 
offer  them  for  his  guests'  supper. 

Mr.  Worcester  thanked  the  young  man  heartily  and 
hastened  to  display  them  to  the  guests. 

"  Here  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Worcester ;  "  Mr.  Benton  shall 
now  have  nothing  further  to  say,  now ! "  and  the  good  lady 
proceeded  to  roast  the  fish,  which  were  already  cleaned,  and 
roll  them  in  meal.  Then,  taking  the  cover  from  the  stove, 
she  put  the  gridiron  on  and  placed  the  fish  over  the  coals. 

"  What !  roast  fish  in  Indian  meal ! "  replied  Mr. 
Murphy ;  "  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  before." 

"It  keeps  them  from  burning,  when  the  fire  is  hot," 
said  the  good  lady,  "  and  I  am  glad  enough  to  give  you 
all  a  taste  of  Labrador  trout." 

"  Do  you  catch  many  such  fine  fellows  as  these,  here  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Furness. 


SUNDA  Y.  163 

"  Oh,  yes,  in  the  nets.  The  boys  catch  a  good  many 
of  them.  Sometimes  as  many  as  two  or  three  barrels." 

"  A  barrel  of  trout ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor. 

tl  Oh,  yes,"  put  in  Mr.  Heady,  "  one  year  I  took  home 
seven ;  and  do  you  think,  that  the  officers  at  the  custom 
house  would  not  believe  the  manifest,  and  so  came  down 
to  the  wharf  themselves,  in  a  body,  to  look  at  them." 

"  Did  they  collect  any  duty  on  them  ?  "  laughed  Mr. 
Murphy. 

"  Oh,  I  gave  them  all  a  couple,"  said  Mr.  Keady ;  "  and 
strange  to  say,  the  rest  of  the  cargo  didn't  cost  me  any- 
thing. After  carefully  examining  into  the  case,  it  was 
found  that  the  rest  of  the  articles  we  brought  down  were 
not  dutiable,"  he  added,  laughing. 

At  length  the  trout  were  cooked  and  served.  All  had 
a  piece,  and  they  were  beautiful  and  tender,  though  no 
one  ate  any  large  amount  after  the  supper  already  freely 
partaken  of. 

"  All  pleasures  have  an  end,"  said  Mr.  Mclntyre,  as  all 
arose  from  the  table ;  "  and  I  suppose  that  we  must  be 
starting  for  home,  as  soon  as  we  can." 

The  gentlemen  and  even  Mrs.  Worcester  saw  the  force 
of  this  remark,  and  so  with  many  cordial  hand-shakings 
and  hearty  good  wishes,  the  little  party  bade  adieu  to 
the  kind  pastor  and  his  wife,  and  hurried  to  the  boat. 

Mr.  Mclntyre  and  Mason  were  ready  to  receive  them, 
and,  as  soon  as  all  were  embarked,  sail  was  once  more 
set,  and  the  little  boat  fairly  spun  through  the  water 
with  a  fair  wind  all  the  way  home. 

"What  a  pleasant  visit!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  evi- 
dently from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  judging  from  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  he  said  it. 

Thus  ended  a  Sunday  in  Labrador. 


104  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HOW  THE  BOYS  DREDGED  ON  THE  TRIP  "  DOWN  ALONG." 

LL  hands  on  deck!"  sounded  the  voice  of  Mr. 
Ready,  clear  and  loud,  early  Monday  morning. 
"  Lively,  boys !  all  ready  to  sail." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Ready ! "  said  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  "  you're  not 
going  to  leave  us  so  soon,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Why  !  haven't  we  taken  you  by  storm,  and  haven't 
we  kept  you  so  for  nearly  a  week  ? "  said  Mr.  Ready, 
laughing. 

"  Laws  sakes,  just  hear  the  man  talk ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Mclntyre.  "  What's  three  days  and  a  half  ?  " 

"  Say,  now,  look  a  here ! "  again  replied  Mr.  Ready. 
"  Three  days  and  a  half  for  ten  persons  is  the  same  as 
keeping  any  one  of  us  over  a  month,  and  I  guess  you'd 
git  kinder  tired  of  any  one  of  us  by  that  time !  " 

"I  should  get  tired  of  you,  if  you  was  continually 
badgering  around  like  this,  —  I  wish  somebody  would 
take  you  off ;  but  good  by  to  ye,  if  you  really  must  go  ! " 
And  the  two  shook  hands  heartily,  and  then  Mr.  Ready 
started  for  the  vessel,  leaving  word  for  all  to  come  on 
board  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  eaten,  as  they  would  then 
be  ready  to  sail. 

A  little  later,  and  the  party  gathered  in  Mrs.  Mcln- 
tyre's  cozy  dining-room,  around  the  great  stove,  which 
crackled  and  roared  with  a  heaping  fire  of  spruce-wood, 
diffusing  its  genial  heat  far  into  the  room,  and  awaited 
breakfast. 


DREDGING    ON  THE    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."      165 

The  boys  had  just  finished  packing  up  their  specimens 
in  a  stout  barrel,  with  hay  and  dry  grass  sufficient  to 
protect  them  from  moisture  and  dampness.  The  best 
specimens  had  at  last  been  packed  and  the  barrel  headed 
up,  to  be  taken  on  board  with  the  passengers. 

Mrs.  Mclntyre  bustled  about  with  a  huge  coffee  pot  in 
one  hand  and  an  immense  plate  of  steaming  omelet  in 
the  other,  these  she  deposited  upon  the  table ;  returning 
to  the  stove  she  drew  from  the  oven  a  large  covered  dish, 
which,  upon  the  removal  of  the  cover,  revealed  a  large, 
freshly  baked  cod.  From  the  heater  just  above  the  oven, 
came  dishes  of  corn-cakes  and  hot  rolls.  The  very  sight 
of  the  nice  things  that  Mrs.  Mclntyre  had  prepared,  for 
this  parting  meal  of  her  guests,  was  enough  to  invite 
the  appetite  of  the  most  fastidious ;  and  it  really  seemed 
as  if  the  good  lady  had  outdone  herself,  when  she  an- 
nounced some  "flapjacks  and  syrup,  if  any  of  the  party 
would  like  them."  Was  there  any  of  the  party  who 
would  not  like  them  ? 

"  Where  do  you  get  your  syrup  from  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Jacobs. 

"It  comes  in  cakes  from  Quebec,"  said  the  good 
woman;  "the  traders  bring  it  to  \is.  It  is  real  maple 
sugar  melted  down,  and  they  gets  the  best  of  maple 
sugar  in  Canada,"  added  she. 

After  all  had  eaten  their  fill,  came  the  leave-takings ; 
and  the  good  woman  was  obliged  to  perform  the  very 
undignified  act  of  wiping  her  eyes  and  nose  with  her 
apron  several  times,  while  bidding  farewell  to  the  guests, 
who,  in  so  short  a  time,  had  become  so  intimate  with 
her.  Mary  was  even  less  able  to  control  her  feelings 
than  her  mother,  and  fairly  blubbered  right  out  when 
Jack  Ready  came  to  say  good  by  to  her.  Even  Freddie 


ICG  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

was  affected  visibly,  though  he  afterwards  said,  very 
cruelly,  that  for  a  minute  he  didn't  know  which  was 
Mary's  head  and  which  was  Jack's  —  they  were  so  near 
together;  then  something  sounded  as  if  somebody  was 
slapping  somebody  else,  but  they  pulled  their  heads 
apart  so  quick  that  he  could  not  tell  which  it  was  that 
got  slapped. 

At  length,  with  promises  to  call  again  on  the  return 
trip,  the  last  words  were  said,  and  the  party  were  once 
more  on  the  move  toward  the  wharf  where  lay  the  boat 
that  was  to  carry  them  to  the  vessel. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  and  the  anchor  chain  of  the 
North  Star  was  rattling  to  the  music  of  the  sailors  as 
they  pu,mped  the  heavy  windlass,  and  soon,  with  all  sails 
set,  the  vessel  herself  was  bending  to  the  breeze  that 
gradually  filled  her  sails,  as  the  wheelsman  kept  her  off 
so  as  to  give  her  the  benefit  of  every  available  breath  of 
wind. 

"  Off  once  more  ! "  cried  Mr.  Ready,  in  the  loudest  tone 
of  voice  that  he  could  muster ;  "  now,  hurra  for  '  down 
along ! ' "  and  he  rubbed  his  hands  smartly  together,  as 
if  already  in  the  jolly  anticipation  of  another  reception 
that  he  had  in  mind,  farther  down  the  coast. 

"  Well !  Mr.  Ready,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  stopping  him 
suddenly,  in  the  middle  of  the  deck,  "what's  our  next 
place  ? " 

"  Well !  Mr.  Benton,"  returned  Mr.  Ready,  laughing, 
"  as  we  say  up  here  — '  that's  accordin ' ! '  If  the  wind 
will  carry  us  to  Rocky  Bay,  we'll  go  there  ;  if  not,  we'll 
go  as  far  as  we  ken ! " 

"  H'm-m  ! "  remarked  Mr.  Benton.  "  I  suppose  that's 
as  far  as  we  can  go,"  and  both  men  laughed  at  them- 
selves and  each  other  immoderately. 


DREDGING    ON  THE    TRIP   "DOWN  ALONG."     167 

"  If  we  could  have  the  use  of  one  of  the  boats  and  a 
man  to  help  us  at  the  next  stopping-place,"  said  Mr. 
Jacobs,  who  at  that  moment  came  up  to  where  Mr. 
Ready  was  standing,  "  I  think  that  the  boys  and  I  will 
do  some  dredging." 

"Why,  certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Ready,  "  I'll  fix  that  all 
right,  when  we  anchor." 

"  Thank  you ! "  replied  Mr.  Jacobs,  as  he  turned  and  dis- 
appeared around  the  galley  on  the  other  side  of  the  boat. 

"  It's  all  right,  boys  !  have  the  dredges  ready  ! "  shouted 
Mr.  Jacobs. 

"  No  fear  of  that,  sir ! "  was  the  reply.  "  And  thank 
you  a  hundred  times,"  answered  Allie. 

These  important  points  now  settled,  the  party  vari- 
ously disposed  of  themselves  to  enjoy  the  sail,  which 
was  .really  one  of  the  most  delightful  ones  that  they  en- 
joyed during  the  trip.  The  boys  watched  over  the  side 
of  the  vessel  for  seaweed  and  other  specimens,  and  cap- 
tured a  large  number  of  interesting  species ;  and  the 
genial  face  of  Mr.  Murphy  fairly  shone,  as  he  watched, 
with  fatherly  eye,  their  proceedings.  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr. 
Benton,  who  had  become  almost  inseparable,  were  seated 
in  their  easy  chairs  just  behind  the  mainmast,  engaged 
in  a  discussion  concerning  the  possibility  of  establishing 
a  trading  post  on  the  Labrador  coast.  Mr.  Jacobs  was 
aiding  the  boys  in  their  work,  while  Mr.  Furness  was  at 
the  galley  door  talking  with  Max,  who  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  preparing  dinner,  and  trying  to  induce  him  to 
give  them  boiled  codfish  instead  of  fish  chowder. 

"  What  if  I  give  you  both ! "  asked  Max. 

"  That  would  be  an  unexpected  treat,"  said  Mr.  Fur- 
ness,  smiling. 

"  Well,  then,  I  think  that  I  shall  have  to  treat  you 


168  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

unexpectedly  ! "  laughed  Max,  "  for  I  shall  give  you  both 
this  time." 

"  What  a  delightful  cook  you  are ! "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Furness,  as  he  turned  to  seek  the  bow  of  the  vessel, 
where  he  was  soon  comfortably  settled  watching  the 
sights  on  shore,  past  which  the  vessel  rapidly  sailed 
toward  her  next  port  of  destination. 

As  the  breeze  continued  good,  the  North  Star  sped 
onward  all  day  long,  till  towards  evening,  when  she  lay 
just  off  Eocky  Bay  Point. 

"  Shall  we  go  in  here,  or  keep  on  to  Stick  Point  ? " 
asked  the  captain. 

"  I  guess  we'll  go  in  ! "  said  Mr.  Ready.  "  It  isn't 
much  farther,  and  we'll  soon  get  there  with  this  breeze." 

"  I  suppose  you  know  the  place  thoroughly,"  asked  the 
captain  somewhat  anxiously,  apparently  not  much  liking 
the  idea  of  a  night  or  evening  run  on  a  strange  coast. 

"  Bless  your  heart,  yes !  I've  been  all  over  here,  day 
and  night." 

"All  right,  then,"  laughed  the  captain,  "on  we  go!" 

About  nine  in  the  evening  a  bright,  low  light  was  seen 
just  ahead  on  the  port  bow  of  the  N&rth  Star. 

"  There's  a  light  house  ! "  cried  the  captain. 

"  No,  there  isn't ! "  sounded  Mr.  Ready's  voice  from  the 
cabin,  as  he  hastened  up  the  companion-way  on  deck. 
"That's  a  light  in  Jenny  Godard's  window.  That's 
Stick  Point.  Steer  straight  for  the  light." 

The  captain  gave  the  orders  to  the  man  at  the  wheel, 
who  soon  changed  the  course  of  the  vessel  as  the  captain 
had  ordered.  Soon  a  large  number  of  small  islands  and 
shoal  places  appeared  on  the  port  side,  then  a  larger 
island  with  a  huge  white  trellis-work  wooden  tower. 

"That's   the    beacon,"  said  Mr.  Ready,   "steer   right 


DREDGING   ON  THE    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG:'     169 

ahead  and  turn  to  the  right  a  little,  and  you'll  soon  see 
the  houses." 

The  sky  was  clear,  and  objects  could  be  seen  almost  as 
plainly  as  if  there  had  been  daylight.  As  the  vessel 
rounded  the  point,  as  many  as  a  dozen  lights  burst  in 
sight. 

"  Now  steer  right  for  the  lights,"  said  Mr.  Keady. 

Her  captain  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  gradually  the  dis- 
tance became  less  and  less,  until  soon  the  vessel  entered 
a  cozy,  sheltered  harbor,  with  houses  lining  the  shores 
on  either  side.  At  the  extreme  left  hand,  a  large  house 
occupied  the  point,  though  it  was  somewhat  shut  out  from 
the  others  by  a  jutting  of  several  huge  pieces  of  ledge. 

"  That's  the  light  we  saw  ! "  said  Mr.  Ready.  "  That's 
Jenny  Godard's." 

"  Let  go  the  anchor ! "  shouted  the  captain. 

A  great  rattling  of  chains  followed ;  and  as  the  vessel 
rounded  the  point,  at  a  word  from  Mr.  Keady,  the  cap- 
tain gave  the  order,  and  the  huge  chain  fairly  deafened 
those  near  by,  as  it  clattered  against  the  iron  pipes  on 
its  way  to  the  bottom ;  a  moment  more  and  the  North 
Star  was  anchored  for  the  night. 

The  boys  were  up  early  the  next  morning,  with  Mr. 
Jacobs,  preparing  their  dredging  apparatus.  The  dredges 
were  brought  out,  as  also  the  boxes  of  cans,  jars,  and 
bottles  of  alcohol,  and  the  long  ropes  and  weights  at- 
tached. The  stem  boat  was  lowered  by  the  men,  and 
the  dredge,  with  the  buckets  and  sieve,  were  put  into  it, 
while  the  dip-net  also  was  not  forgotten.  After  a  hasty 
breakfast  of  coffee  and  hardtack,  the  boys  and  Mr. 
Jacobs,  assisted  by  one  of  the  crew,  got  into  the  boat 
and  rowed  off  into  the  deeper  water  of  the  harbor. 

"  There,  now  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jacobs,  "  keep  the  boat 


170  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

steady.  I  imagine  that  the  water  is  deep  enough  here 
to  give  us  a  fair  show  for  getting  something."  Then 
stepping  into  the  stern  of  the  boat,  he  held  the  dredge, 
almost  to  the  water,  by  the  end  of  the  bag,  while  he 
threw  overboard  the  sinking  weight  and  placed  the  rope 
in  the  hollow  made  for  the  sculler's  oar,  and  then  let  go. 
The  boat  was  nearly  stationary,  and,  as  the  rope  was 
marked  off  by  small  bits  of  string  tied  around  it  into 
fathoms,  he  began  to  count,  as  the  heavy  weight  sank 
deeper  and  deeper  in  the  water. 

"  Thirteen,  fourteen,  fifteen  "  —  counted  Mr.  Jacobs. 
"  There,  she  slackens  !  she  has  reached  bottom  in  fifteen 
fathoms  of  water.  Now  row  ahead,  slowly;  we  must  let 
out  nearly  as  much  more  rope,  so  as  to  get  the  right  cant 
on  the  line;  the  dredge  must  lie  on  her  side  and  scoop 
well,  instead  of  jumping  about  from  side  to  side.  There, 
that's  about  right ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  Now  make 
the  end  fast  about  the  center  of  the  thwart.  Now  I'll 
sit  down  a  moment." 

Meanwhile  the  boat  was  rowed  forward  slowly,  but 
steadily. 

"  Now,  John ! "  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  "  stand  up  firmly,  in 
the  stern,  and  take  the  line  up  carefully  in  your  hand." 

John  did  as  he  was  bid,  but  could  hardly  hold  it,  it 
pulled  so  strongly. 

"  Heavy,  is  it  ?  "  laughed  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  It  will  be 
heavier  than  that  before  we  haul  it  up.  What's  the 
bottom  ?  " 

"  The  bottom !  "  exclaimed  John.  "  Why,  how  can  I 
tell,  when  it's  ninety  feet  below  me ;  I  can't  see  it,  and  I 
surely  can't  go  down  there  to  find  out !  " 

"  Did  you  ever  draw  a  stick  through  a  lot  of  mud  or 
clay,  and  see  what  an  even  furrow  it  made  and  how 


DREDGING  ON   THE    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."      171 

smooth  it  felt  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  Or  did  you  ever 
do  the  same  through  sand  and  find  how  even  it  drew, 
yet  how  rough  it  felt  ?  Or  did  you  ever  draw  the  same 
stick  over  a  mass  of  pebbles,  and  do  you  remember  how 
the  stick  jerked  and  trembled  in  your  hands  ?  or  over  a 
bed  of  rocks,  and  how  it  jumped  and  often  caught  as  you 
pulled  it  along  ?  Well,  that's  the  way  the  dredge  goes  ! 
Now,  what's  the  bottom  ?  " 

John  took  up  the  rope  again,  which  he  had  let  drop, 
and  held  it  carefully  in  his  hands  for  a  few  moments. 

"  It  seems  quite  smooth,  but  rather  rough,"  said  John, 
"  yet  sometimes  it  seems  to  pull  terribly ! " 

Mr.  Jacobs  laughed.     "  Well !  what  do  you  say  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  must  be  clay." 

"  But  you  say  '  smooth,  but  rough ! ' "  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 

"  Yes,  it  is ;  and  that  would  be  sandy ;  when  it  pulls, 
I  suppose  it  catches  on  the  edges  of  rocks." 

"  You  are  right ! "  said  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  Sandy  and  rocky 
bottom.  Fifteen  fathoms.  Stick  Point  harbor,  center  of 
the  channel.  Put  that  down  in  your  note-book ! " 

Allie  produced  a  small  pocket  note-book  and  carefully 
wrote  down,  as  directed. 

"  Well ! "  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  arranging  himself  in  a  com- 
fortable position  on  the  seat,  with  his  arms  thrown 
around  his  head,  which  was  leaning  on  one  side  of  the 
gunwale  of  the  boat,  and  his  feet,  in  a  very  unprofes- 
sional-like  attitude,  on  the  opposite  side ;  "  is  she  on  the 
bottom  ?  " 

"  Is  she !  Why,  I  suppose  so,  of  course,"  said  John. 

"  Yes !  but  don't  you  see  that  we  are  going  faster  than 
we  were  at  first,  and  that  the  line  is  at  more  of  an  angle 
with  the  water  ?  Now  pull  on  the  rope,  and  see  if  it  don't 
pull  easier  than  before." 


172  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Oh  yes,  sir,  much  easier ! "  replied  John,  as  he  held 
the  rope. 

"Now,  what  would  happen  if  you  should  stop  row- 
ing ?  "  asked  Mr.  Jacobs.  "  No,  no !  don't  do  it ! "  he 
said  as  the  man  lay  to  on  his  oars  for  a  moment.  The 
man  began  rowing  again,  as  before.  "Now  what  have 
we  done  ?  "  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know ! "  replied  John,  perfectly 
aghast  at  so  much  that  was  new  to  him. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you !  Now  listen  carefully.  The  man 
rowed  so  fast,  that  both  the  dredge  and  its  weight  were 
not  heavy  enough  to  keep  their  place  on  the  bottom,  but 
were  lifted  right  up  and  drawn  through  the  water  above 
the  bottom.  Then  instead  of  rowing  more  slowly,  to  let 
them  sink  gradually  in  the  same  position  to  their  places 
again,  the  man  stopped  rowing ;  the  strain  was  thus  taken 
off  the  rope,  the  sinker  being  six  feet  in  front  of  the 
dredge  and  heavier  than  the  dredge,  sank  first,  this 
turned  the  dredge  bottom  up  —  and  the  sand  and  mate- 
rial in  the  bag  being  too  heavy  to  float,  fell  out  and  emptied 
the  bag.  So  there  is  now  nothing  in  the  net,  and  you 
have  lost  all  you  gained." 

This  was  indeed  a  new  way  of  working  and  reasoning 
to  the  boys,  but  they  understood  it  at  once. 

"  Well,  we'll  try  it  again ! "  exclaimed  Allie. 

The  dredge  was  allowed  to  sink  to  the  bottom,  and  the 
man  began  rowing  again,  but  this  time  not  so  fast  as  before. 
John  held  the  line,  and  found  the  weight  growing  grad- 
ually heavier  and  heavier,  until  at  length  he  exclaimed : 

"  It  must  be  getting  full  now,  it's  getting  awful  heavy ; 
I  guess  it's  caught  on  a  rock ;  I  can't  start  it." 

The  man  at  the  oars,  also,  was  sweating,  and  bending 
at  his  oars,  unable  to  move  the  boat  a  foot. 


DREDGING    ON   THE    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."     173 

Mr.  Jacobs,  still  retaining  his  position,  looked  on  and 
laughed  heartily.  "Pull  away,"  he  shouted  encourag- 
ingly to  the  man  ;  "  haul  in  the  line,  John." 

But  neither  the  man  or  John  could  make  any  impres- 
sion. 

"  Stop  rowing,  pull  in  the  line,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs ;  and 
the  man  dropped  his  oars  and  began  to  pull  at  the 
line,  drawing  the  boat  backwards,  as  he  pulled,  until 
finally  the  rope  became  perpendicular  with  the  stern  of 
the  boat. 

"  Two  or  three  hard  pulls,  now ! "  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 

These  were  given,  and  suddenly  the  dredge  became  de- 
tached from  the  rock,  on  which  it  had  struck,  and  began 
to  come  up  slowly,  as  the  man  exerted  all  his  strength 
pulling  in  the  line. 

"  It's  pretty  full,  sir ! "  exclaimed  the  man.  "  Here  it 
is  !  What  shall  I  do  with  it  ?  " 

The  man  then  first  hauled  in  the  sinker,  then,  drawing 
up  the  dredge,  rested  its  edge  on  the  edge  of  the  boat. 
It  was  full  to  the  mouth.  And  so  many  curious  things 
lay,  even  in  sight,  on  the  very  top,  that  none  of  the  boys 
could  restrain  an  exclamation  of  surprise.  There  were 
star-fish,  five,  six,  and  many  fingered,  of  brown,  red,  and 
dun  color ;  sea-urchins,  with  their  long,  green  spines  cov- 
ering them  everywhere  except  at  the  mouth;  immense 
sea-cucumbers  or  holothurians ;  and  shrimps  and  crabs  by 
the  hundreds.  Besides  this  the  shells  and  worms,  as  well 
as  many  other  curious  sea-animals,  occasionally  showed 
from  beneath  the  mass  of  sand  and  rock  — "  live  rock," 
as  the  man  called  it,  while  this  same  "  live  rock  "  or  "  red 
rock,"  a  species  of  Nullipore,  found  growing  on  the  rocks 
and  even  encrusting  into  delicate  ferns  and  branches  by 
itself,  was  everywhere  imbedded  in  the  net. 


174  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Empty  the  net  into  the  pails  ! "  said  Mr.  Jacobs. 

This  was  done,  and  the  boys  at  once  set  to  work  to 
wash  the  material  thus  procured  in  the  sieve,  and  sort 
it ;  putting  the  larger  and  heavier  specimens  in  one  pail 
by  themselves,  the  lighter  and  more  delicate  ones  in  an- 
other. 

"Now  try  it  again,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  and  a  second 
time  the  dredge  was  lowered,  and  raised  with  much  the 
same  results.  The  boys,  meantime,  sifting  and  sorting 
the  specimens,  while  the  man  from  the  crew  did  the 
heavy  work,  and  Mr.  Jacobs  watched  over  all,  with  the 
eye  of  a  man  accustomed  to  such  work  from  long  prac- 
tice. 

Again  and  again  was  the  dredge  hauled  and  let  down, 
and  all  took  part  in  the  general  work,  until  every  pail, 
bucket,  and  dish,  was  rilled  with  specimens ;  and,  with  a 
huge  dredge  full  of  material  in  tow,  the  boat,  at  length, 
headed  for  the  vessel. 

As  they  neared  the  North  Star,  Max's  watchful  eye 
saw  them,  even  before  any  of  the  others,  and  his  cheer- 
ful voice  sounded  to  them  even  before  they  could  distin- 
guish his  words.  A  few  hasty  strokes  of  the  oar,  however, 
soon  brought  them  near  enough  to  recognize  the  familial- 
greeting  of :  "  Dinner,  gentlemens  ! " 

The  boys  responded,  at  once,  with  a  hearty  cheer, 
and  soon  the  whole  party  were  alongside  of  the  vessel, 
eagerly  clambering  up  the  side  into  the  ship. 

"  Well,  my  boys  !  "  shouted  Mr.  Benton's  cordial  voice, 
"  what  luck !  did  you  have  a  good  time  ?  " 

"  Didn't  we  ! "  exclaimed  one  and  all. 

"  Oh,  Max ! "  shouted  Freddie ;  foremost  as  usual. 
"  Can  we  have  something  to  eat !" 

"  Certainly,  my  hearties  ! "  said  the  good-natured  cook, 


DREDGING    ON   THE    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."     175 

clapping  him  on  the  shoulders.  "  What  will  you  have  ? 
There  is  bean  soup — " 

"  That  will  do !  "  exclaimed  Allie ;  and  then  there  was 
a  grand  rush  for  the  galley  door,  and  in  a  moment  five 
hungry  mortals  were  making  rapid  progress  toward  the 
bottom  of  the  soup-kettle.  The  soup  being  finished,  and 
the  plates  piled  away,  the  next  thing  in  order  came  in 
the  shape  of  boiled  salmon,  with  egg  sauce;  this  was 
soon  disposed  of  in  a  similar  manner,  and  a  dessert  of 
plum-pudding  and  molasses  was  added. 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  us  before ! "  sighed  Freddie,  as 
he  gazed  fondly  at  the  big  pudding,  "  that  that  was  com- 
ing ?  " 

"Because  I  wanted  to  surprise  you!"  replied  Max, 
laughing.  "  You  can't  have  but  one  plateful,  sir ;  be- 
cause it  will  make  you  sick.  " 

"I'm  afraid  that  I  can't  eat  but  one  plateful,  any- 
way, "  said  Freddie,  in  such  a  doleful  tone  that  everybody 
was  obliged  to  stop  eating,  for  a  moment,  to  laugh. 

"  Why  !  would  you  want  to  eat  more  than  one  plate- 
ful, after  all  that  you  have  made  way  with  already  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Jacobs,  good-humoredly. 

"  Yes  !  I  would, "  pouted  Master  Fred.  "  I'd  like  to 
eat  it  all." 

"  What !  and  not  leave  any  for  anybody  else  ?  " 

"  I  think  you  are  real  mean  ! "  said  Freddie,  "  to  tease 
me  so.  Can't  I  have  some  more,  Max  ?  "  he  added ;  for 
in  spite  of  the  talking,  which  all  had  indulged  in,  he  h#d 
managed  to  clean  his  plate  in  a  remarkably  short  space 
of  time. 

"  Only  just  so  much ! "  laughed  Max,  as  he  heaped  the 
plate  full  the  second  time.  "Now  don't  you  dare  to 
look  at  the  pudding  again,  sir ! " 


176  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

As  the  second  plate  seemed  sufficient  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  young  gentleman,  and  as  by  this  time  all 
the  others  had  finished,  Max  now  poured  out  a  large  pan 
full  of  scalding  water  and  began  to  wash  up,  while  the 
boys  turned  to  their  specimens  and  began  sorting  them. 

The  box  containing  the  gigs  and  jars  of  alcohol  was 
now  re-opened,  and  the  work  of  sorting  and  preparing 
begun  in  earnest. 

The  specimens  were  sifted  and  sorted,  and  then  laid 
aside  in  groups  to  be  tied  in  parcels  of  muslin  and 
labeled  before  being  put  finally  into  the  alcohol. 

There  were  all  sorts  of  curious  objects.  Crabs  and 
other  Crustacea,  large  and  small,  soft  and  hard  bodied, 
and  of  most  peculiar  forms  ;  barnacles ;  whale  lice  and 
minute  parasitical  ferns ;  and  a  miscellaneous  assortment 
of  shrimps,  some  long  and  slender,  others  short  and  full 
of  eggs,  clinging  to  their  flipper-like  legs  in  such  quan- 
tities that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  that  such  innum- 
erable little  animals  could  exist  at  all. 

Then  there  were  worms :  large,  flat,  but  short  worms, 
with  huge  scales  over  the  body,  like  the  plates  of  some 
old-fashioned  armor;  long,  thin-bodied  worms,  with  rows 
of  thread-like  tentacles  clustered  all  around  their  heads  ; 
common  flat  worms,  hair  worms,  red  worms,  and  worms 
in  little  cases;  long,  white  animals  that  looked  like 
worms.  Small  gilly-fish,  star-fish,  sea-urchins,  sand  dol- 
lars, serpent-stars,  polyps,  hydriads,  sertula,  cereal  ani- 
m^ls,  holothurians,  sea-cucumbers  —  of  all  varieties  of 
shape.  The  boys  were  half  wild  merely  looking  at  the 
assortment,  while  everybody  in  the  ship  was  gathered 
around  them  admiring  the  beauties  of  the  sea-bottom. 

"  I  declare  !  "  said  Allie,  as  he  drew  out  from  the  sieve 
a  huge  expanded  sea-anemone,  "  if  I  should  ever  drown. 


DREDGING   ON  THE    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."     177 

I  think  I  should  be  perfectly  happy  if  I  knew  that  I 
were  lying  on  a  bed  of  these  beautiful  sea  creatures." 

"  A  sentiment  which  others  share  with  you,"  responded 
Mr.  Jacobs ;  "  but  see  these  beautiful  shells  ! " 

As  he  spoke  Mr.  Jacobs  took  up  several  small  shells, 
of  a  pearly  luster,  which  were  beautifully  covered  with 
minute  lines  or  striae,  and  held  them  up,  so  that  the 
light,  falling  upon  them,  caused  them  to  show  most 
beautiful  rainbow  colors  all  over  their  surface ;  and  there 
were  others  of  a  similar  kind  but  differently  marked, 
showing  that  there  is  more  than  one  species. 

"  Here  are  some  pretty  ones  ! "  said  Allie,  picking  up 
some  small,  reddish  shells  with  a  little  white  on  them. 

The  boys  then  sorted  their  specimens,  as  well  as  they 
could,  and  then  counted  twenty-four  distinct  species  ; 
they  were  all  then  carefully  tied  in  little  bags,  labeled 
inside  and  out  —  so  that  if  one  of  the  labels  should  be 
destroyed  the  other  would  remain,  and  thrown  together 
into  alcohol.  The  worms  and  soft  animals  were  put 
into  separate  parcels  and  treated  in  like  manner,  but  in 
no  case  were  hard  and  soft  bodied  specimens  placed  to- 
gether, or  even  in  the  same  vial  or  jar.  The  minute 
specimens,  of  which  there  were  a  great  many,  were  put 
into  the  small  boxes  and  bottles.  Everything  was  care- 
fully numbered  and  labeled,  and  the  numbers  copied  into 
the  note-book,  with  whatever  was  on  the  label  next  to 
its  number,  and  as  much  more  as  could  be  ascertained 
besides. 

Thus  the  boys  worked  hard  all  the  day  and  disposed 
of  all  of  their  specimens  by  night. 

The  next  day  it  rained  slightly ;  but  rain  was  no  hin- 
drance to  the  boys,  who  were  eager  to  continue  their 
work  of  the  day  before,  and  get  new  specimens,  —  so 


178  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

this  day,  also,  was  devoted  to  dredging,  and  a  harvest 
was  the  result. 

Thus  the  days  passed,  and  with  the  usual  results,  — 
always  fine  lots  of  specimens ;  and  every  new  harbor  fur- 
nished a  new  field  for  work,  until,  before  the  end  of  the 
voyage,  the  boys  had  their  bottles  and  cans  filled  full 
with  the  sea  life  of  Labrador. 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT   CODFISH.      179 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WHAT     MR.     MURPHY     AND     THE     BOYS     LEARNED     ABOUT 
CODFISH A    CURLEW    HUNT. 

"  r  I  iHEY  say,  boys,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Murphy,  one  morn- 

J-  ing,  "  that  Stick  Point  is  the  largest  fishing  estab- 
lishment on  the  coast.  What  do  you  say  to  going  on 
shore  with  me,  and  giving  a  good  look  at  the  place  and 
the  process  of  curing  fish  ?  " 

"  Good !  we'll  go  ! "  shouted  Allie,  who  was  now  gen- 
eral spokesman  for  the  boys,  including  also  Jack  Ready. 

"  All  right.  Can  we  have  the  boat,  captain  ? "  asked 
Mr.  Murphy  of  the  captain,  who  was  standing  near,  "  or 
will  somebody  put  us  ashore  ?  " 

"  I'll  put  you  ashore  myself,"  said  the  captain,  good- 
naturedly,  stretching  himself  as  he  spoke.  "  I  want  to 
go  ashore  and  see  something,  myself.  I'll  go  with  you." 

In  a  few  moments  the  boat  was  alongside  the  vessel, 
and  the  captain,  holding  on  to  the  ladder,  was  waiting 
for  the  others  to  jump  in. 

"  There  ! "  he  exclaimed ;  "  now  we're  off  for  the  day." 

"Good  riddance  to  you!"  called  out  Max  from  the 
galley.  "You  needn't  come  back  till  night;  you  must 
get  yotir  dinner  on  shore,  for  you'll  get  none  here  !  " 

The  cook  laughed  heartily  as  he  said  this,  but  instantly 
ducked  his  head  and  tried  to  shut  the  galley  door,  as  a 
dipperful  of  cold  water  came  over  the  side  of  the  vessel 
and  wet  him  thoroughly. 


WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  There's  some  dinner  for  you  ! "  said  the  captain,  as 
he  hurried  to  the  oars,  to  get  away  from  the  vessel  be- 
fore Max  should  have  time  to  retaliate. 

Every  one  laughed  heartily  at  Max,  who  brushed  the 
water  off  with  one  hand  while  he  shook  his  fist  at  the 
captain  with  the  other,  calling  out  at  the  same  time : 

"  Wait  till  I  get  you  back  here  ! " 

"  I'll  not  do  it !  "  replied  the  captain,  as  he  made  for 
the  shore  with  his  passengers. 

As  the  wharf  was  not  far  off,  the  boat  soon  reached  it, 
and  the  boys  and  Mr.  Murphy  climbed  quickly  to  the 
landing. 

Although  it  was  yet  early  in  the  morning,  the  men 
were  already  hard  at  work  at  their  labor,  and  were  cur- 
ing several  boat  loads  of  fish  that  had  just  arrived  from 
the  fishing  grounds. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Murphy,"  said  Mr.  Godard,  as 
he  came  forward  and  shook  Mr.  Murphy  and  all  the  boys 
by  the  hand.  "  Good  morning,  boys ;  glad  to  see  you 
around  so  early  this  morning." 

"  We're  glad  to  see  you,  sir,"  exclaimed  Freddie. 

"  And  we've  come  to  see  all  there  is  to  see  about  your 
fishery,"  said  John,  "if  you'll  let  us." 

"  Let  you !  why,  of  course  I  will ;  and  I'll  go  around 
with  you,  and  show  you  a  great  many  things  that  you 
would  not  see  at  all,  otherwise,"  said  Mr.  Godard. 

"That's  good,"  and  the  boys  fairly  danced  with  joy  at 
this  piece  of  good  news,  while  Mr.  Godard  and  Mr.  Mur- 
phy walked  about  to  the  end  of  the  wharf  to  see  the 
men  throwing  up  the  codfish,  from  a  boat  below,  into  a 
curiously  shaped  partition  in  one  corner  of  the  wharf. 

"  So  you  use  a  pitchfork  for  more  purposes  than  one," 
laughed  Mr.  Murphy,  as  he  watched  the  men  heave  the 


WHAT    THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  CODFISH.      181 

fish  from  the  boat  on  the  tines  of  huge  handled  pitch- 
forks. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  we  couldn't  get  along  very  well  without 
these,"  replied  Mr.  Godard. 

"  What  a  queer-looking  boat ! "  continued  Mr.  Murphy. 

"  Yes  ;  that's  a  '  novie.'  We  have  two  kinds  of  boats 
in  our  fishing  :  the  l  novies '  and  the  '  American  barges ; ' 
this  one  is  a  novie  ;  it  is  painted  red,  inside  and  out : 
the  large  ones  you  see,  anchored  out  there  in  the  water, 
are  the  barges.  The  fishermen  prefer  them,  however, 
because  they  are  so  much  larger  than  the  others,  and 
carry  a  great  deal  more ;  but  they  have  heavy  stones  for 
ballast  in  them,  and  would  sink  at  once  if  the  water 
should  fill  them." 

"  And  would  not  the  others  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Murphy. 

"  Oh,  no ;  the  others  are  smaller,  but  they  are  as  light 
as  cork,  and  would  float  on  the  water  if  you  turned  them 
over." 

"  Then  I  should  think  that  all  the  men  would  use  the 
novies." 

"  One  would  think  so ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  every  one 
prefers  the  barge,  as  it  is  so  much  larger  and  brings  in 
more  fish  from  the  ground,  when  fish  are  plenty,  and 
everything  is  risked  for  a  '  good  catch.'  " 

"  What  a  little  rope  ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  as  he  picked 
up  something  from  one  side  of  the  wharf. 

"  That's  not  a  little  rope,"  said  Mr.  Godard,  "  but  it  is 
a  big  fish-line." 

"  Fish-line  ! "  cried  Allie,  "  I  don't  want  to  catch  fish 
with  that  line  !  " 

"  Yes ;  a  big  fish-line ! "  continued  Mr.  Godard. 
"  The  men  use  that  with  a  big  sinker  on  the  end,  for 
catching  big  fish  in  deep  water.  Sometimes  they  fish 


182  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

4 

with  it  in  sixty  to  seventy  fathoms  of  water  —  that  is, 
in  nearly  four  hundred  feet  of  water  —  and  bring  up 
fish  weighing  sixty  to  seventy  pounds." 

"  Dear  me ;  I  shouldn't  like  that  fishing,"  said  Allie. 

"  The  smaller  line,"  continued  Mr.  Godard,  "  is  used  in 
shallow  water,  and  is  the  ordinary  cod  line ;  but  come 
with  me,  and  see  the  men  at  work." 

The  party  all  followed  as  Mr.  Godard  led  the  way  to 
another  part  of  the  same  wharf,  where  about  a  dozen 
men  were  hard  at  work,  cleaning  and  salting  down  the 
fish  that  had  been  brought  in  by  a  previous  boat. 

The  boys  watched  the  process  eagerly.  One  of  the 
men  went  by  the  very  bloody  and  terrible  name  of  the 
"throat-cutter."  This  man  would  seize  the  fish  with 
his  thumb  and  forefinger,  placing  the  thumb  in  the 
hollow  just  below  the  chin,  and  the  forefinger  in  the  eye, 
and,  throwing  the  fish  upon  the  bench,  so  that  the  head 
just  hung  over  the  edge,  would  press  upon  it  so  as  to 
open  the  gills  and  throw  the  muscles  of  the  throat 
upward.  A  stout  knife  in  the  other  hand,  cut  through 
this  muscle,  and  then  cut  open  the  belly  clear  to  the 
lower  fin.  Two  quick  motions  of  the  knife  accomplished 
all  this,  and  the  fish  was  thrown  to  the  next  man. 

The  boys  could  see  that  the  man  used  a  very  curious 
knife  for  this  work.  It  had  a  heavy  round  handle,  and 
its  blade  was  not  over  six  inches  long,  and  tapered  to  a 
rounded  point,  while  it  was  as  sharp  as  a  razor  on  both 
edges.  The  man  worked  so  fast  that,  at  first,  the  boys 
had  some  difficulty  in  following  him,  but  they  soon 
caught  the  movements,  and  Mr.  Godard  stopped  him 
and  let  each  boy,  in  turn,  try  it ;  and  soon  all  were  pro- 
nounced first-class  throat-cutters,  and  ready  to  hire  out 
for  the  fishery.  Even  Mr.  Murphy  carefully  laid  down 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT   CODFISH.     183 

his  meerschaum  and  took  a  hand  at  the  sport,  but  cutting 
too  far  down,  a  drop  of  blood  fell  upon  the  invaluable 
pipe,  and  everything  else  was  left  to  attend  to  its  wants. 

When  the  fish  had  left  the  hands  of  the  throat-cutter, 
it  was  immediately  passed  over  to  the  next  man,  who 
went  by  the  no  less  terrible  name  of  the  "  header."  The 
boys  watched  this  man  as  he  seized  the  fish  firmly  by 
the  head  and  body,  and,  bending  it  over  a  piece  of  sharp 
iron  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  forced  them  apart.  The 
head,  with  all  the  insides  attached,  was  thrown  through  a 
trough  into  the  sea  below,  the  liver  was  picked  out,  and 
pushed  through  a  hole  in  the  bench,  into  a  barrel  beneath, 
and  the  body  passed  to  the  third  man. 

This  man  was  called  the  "  splitter."  His  duty  was  to 
cut  out  the  backbone  of  the  fish,  and  throw  the  body  into 
a  barrow,  which,  when  it  was  full,  was  carried  into  the 
shed  that  the  fish  might  be  salted  down.  Three  men, 
then,  always  worked  at  a  bench  together,  and  there  was 
usually  a  small  boy  to  pick  the  fish  up  and  lay  them  on 
the  bench  for  the  throat-cutter,  or  first  man. 

"  Now  come  into  the  shed,"  said  Mr.  Godard,  "  and  see 
them  salt  the  fish  down." 

Mr.  Murphy  and  the  boys  followed. 

The  shed  was  a  large  building,  opened  at  both  ends  by 
wide  doors,  and  with  a  plank  walk  from  one  end  to  the 
other.  On  both  sides  of  the  entrance  near  the  stage 
were  huge  bins  of  salt,  and  above,  a  large  loft  where 
were  kept  nets  and  other  fishing  gear. 

The  boys  watched  the  salting  down  process  with  great 
interest. 

The  fish  were  first  laid  head  to  tail,  in  double  layers, 
in  small  piles,  with  abundance  of  salt  between  each  layer, 
until  each  pile  was  several  feet  in  height.  Another  pile 


184  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

of  similar  layers  would  then  be  built  up,  outside  the 
first,  until  all  the  fish  were  salted  and  stored,  or  until 
the  room  was  full  to  the  walk. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  shed,  men  were  washing 
several  piles  of  fish,  that  had  been  salted  already  a 
month  or  more,  previous  to  spreading  them. 

They  had  a  large  trough-like  tub  full  of  water,  into 
which  the  fish  were  thrown,  and  a  man  at  each  end  kept 
them  in  constant  motion  in  the  water  with  a  long  pole, 
on  the  end  of  which  was  a  small  cross-board. 

When  the  fish  were  sufficiently  washed,  and  the  salt 
taken  off  of  them,  they  were  carried  out  of  doors  and 
spread,  either  upon  the  clean  surface  of  the  rocks  or 
upon  the  fish  flakes,  to  dry  in  the  sun. 

The  fish  flakes  were  small  tables  of  lattice-work,  through 
which  the  air  could  easily  penetrate,  and  were  ranged  in 
rows  wherever  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  afford 
them  a  standing  place. 

As  the  boys  emerged  from  the  front  end  of  the  shed, 
they  saw  the  rocks  and  the  fish  flakes  covered  every- 
where with  fish  drying  in  the  warm  sunshine,  while  a 
number  of  men  were  taking  off  some  pieces  of  fir-bark 
from  a  large  pile  near  by. 

"  That  is  the  way  we  pile  our  fish  over  night  and  when 
we  have  bad  weather,"  said  Mr.  Godard. 

The  fish  were  arranged  in  layers  built  up,  one  above 
the  other,  and  out,  from  a  common  center  of  fish-tails, 
until  the  pile  was  about  as  deep  as  it  was  high.  Those 
the  boys  saw  were  about  six  feet  in  diameter  and  three 
feet  high.  They  were  packed  very  solidly,  and  Allie 
noticed  that  they  were  placed  on  small  pebbles  that  had 
evidently  been  set  into  the  earth  as  a  sort  of-  bed  for 
their  reception. 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT   CODFISH.      185 

"Quite  a  display  here,  Mr.  Godard,"  said  Mr.  Murphy, 
"  How  many  have  you  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  I  reckon  some  eleven  hundred  quintals  and  the 
men's  share,"  replied  Mr.  Godard.  "  You  see  the  season 
is  not  half  over  yet ;  I  guess  we'll  get  a  load." 

"  How  much  is  a  quintal  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"Oh,  a  quintal  is  different,  according,"  laughed  Mr. 
Godard.  "It's  212  pounds  of  wet  fish,  just  out  of  the 
water,  and,  as  fish  shrink  one-half  in  drying,  it's  112 
pounds  of  dry  fish.  We  measure  all  our  fish,  dry  or  wet, 
by  quintals,  because  that's  the  way  we  sell  it.  Our  boats 
hold  so  many  quintals  ;  the  men  returning  from  the  fish- 
ing ground  have  caught  so  many  quintals ;  not  so  many 
pounds  or  so  many  fish,  —  and  at  the  end  of  the  season 
each  man's  share  is  so  many  quintals." 

"You  must  use  a  great  deal  of  salt  in  preserving  so 
many  fish,"  said  Mr.  Murphy. 

"Yes,  we  do;  the  salt  gets  used  up  very  fast.  We 
generally  reckon  not  far  from  a  barrel  of  salt  for  every 
ten  quintals  of  fish,  and  five  barrels  to  a  hogshead." 

"  Where  do  you  get  your  salt  ?"  continued  Mr.  Murphy. 

"  Oh,  the  vessels  that  take  our  fish  generally  bring  it 
to  us  either  in  the  early  spring  or  the  fall  before.  Some- 
times a  vessel  comes  out  from  Quebec  called  the  'salt 
vessel,'  and  goes  all  the  way  '  down  along,'  supplying  all 
the  stations." 

Mr.  Godard  then  took  them  down  toward  the  wharf 
again  and  showed  them  how  cod-liver  oil  was  made. 
The  boys  would  not  at  first  believe  that  all  those  huge 
barrels  or  puncheons  that  they  saw  were  full  of  anything 
but  slime  and  gurry,  but  Mr.  Godard  took  a  stick  and, 
pushing  away  the  top,  showed  them  that  beneath  the 
gurry  was  clear,  brown  oil. 


186  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Then  he  took  them  to  another  barrel  full  of  fresh  cod- 
livers  and  showed  them  that;  then  to  another  where 
they  had  only  begun  to  decay,  and  so  gradually  from 
one  to  another,  until  they  had  seen  the  huge  tubfuls 
rotting  in  the  sun,  and  had  then  watched  the  men  draw 
off  the  oil  into  kegs.  Mr.  Godard  explained  that  a  great 
deal  of  water  often  got  into  the  tubs,  and,  as  that  always 
remained  at  the  bottom,  each  tub  had  a  small  hole  bored 
in  it  near  the  lower  side,  into  which  a  wooden  plug  was 
fastened.  As  he  spoke,  Mr.  Godard  pulled  out  the  plug 
from  one  of  the  casks,  and  a  large  stream  of  water 
gushed  out ;  as  soon  as  all  the  water  was  out  the  hole 
was  plugged  up  again,  and  the  mass  in  the  tub  was  found 
to  be  about  six  inches  deeper  or  lower  down  than  before 
and  now  nearly  all,  save  the  top,  clear  oil. 

In  one  corner  of  the  platform  was  a  big  iron  kettle 
where  the  men  were  hastening  the  process  of  oil  making 
by  boiling,  and  forming  a  different  kind  of  oil,  —  the  two 
kinds  being  known  as  the  "  brown  oil "  and  the  "  straw 
or  pale  oil." 

All  the  oil  was  strained  carefully  through  cloth  placed 
in  the  funnel,  before  going  into  the  barrels  ;  and  the  old 
pieces  of  liver  or  gurry  thrown  into  old  hogsheads,  and 
kept  for  a  most  peculiar  use.  Mr.  Godard  said  that  the 
men  mixed  it  with  tar,  and  used  it  as  an  oil  paint  to 
put  on  their  huts  and  sheds  in  the  summer  to  make 
them  water  tight. 

"  There,  boys,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Murphy,  "  that  ought  to 
teach  you  to  make  the  most  of  your  opportunities  when- 
ever you  can,  and  not  to  waste  anything,  as  all  things 
have  their  use,"  said  he. 

Freddie  laughed,  and  very  innocently,  and  perhaps  a 
little  mischievously,  pointing  to  the  cod  heads  that  the 


WHAT  THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  CODFISH.     187 

men  were  throwing  into  the  water  beneath,  where  there 
had  already  accumulated  a  great  quantity,  asked : 

"And  what  use  do  they  make  of  these  things,  that 
they  are  throwing  away  so  fast  ?  " 

Mr.  Godard  and  Mr.  Murphy  both  winked  very  hard 
at  each  other ;  but  the  latter  replied  quite  unabashed : 

"  See  all  those  small  boys  over  the  wharf  there,  fishing 
for  tomcod  and  flounders  ?  " 

"  Yes  ! "  cried  Freddie. 

"  Well !  if  you  should  ask  their  mothers,  of  what  use 
the  old  cod  heads  that  the  men  now  throw  away  were, 
they  would  soon  find  an  answer ;  "  laughed  Mr.  Murphy. 

After  wandering  around  among  the  men,  and  on  the 
wharf  until  dinner-time,  all  were  invited  to  come  up  to 
the  house,  as  dinner  was  ready. 

At  last  all  were  seated,  and  the  dishes  uncovered. 
There  was  an  immense  dish  of  roasted  curlew  with 
dumplings,  with  a  quantity  of  rich  gravy ;  a  boited  sal- 
mon, with  egg  sauce ;  and  a  leg  of  cold  ham,  warmed 
over  in  the  oven,  with  potatoes  and  turnips  for  vegeta- 
bles, and  plenty  of  bread  and  butter  and  tea  or  coffee. 
A  dessert  of  brown  plum-pudding  and  molasses  finished 
the  meal.  Then  Mr.  Murphy  went  into  the  sitting-room 
to  take  a  nap,  while  the  boys  were  off  with  Mr.  Godard's 
boys  on  a  tour  of  the  island. 

The  boys  had  no  more  than  left  the  house,  before  they 
all  came  running  back  in  the  greatest  confusion.  They 
had  seen  a  large  flock  of  curlews  alight  on  one  of  the 
crests  of  the  island,  and  were  after  their  guns.  All  the 
available  fowling-pieces  were  quickly  sought,  and  powder 
and  shot,  caps,  and  tow  for  wads,  for  the  old-fashioned 
muskets  that  were  quickly  brought  from  their  hiding- 
places. 


188  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

At  length,  all  were  prepared,  and  soon  they  started  off, 
in  good  humor,  for  a  curlew  hunt. 

There  were  six  boys,  and  four  of  them  had  guns. 
They  were  "  muzzle  loaders ;  "  but  they  had  done  good 
work,  and  were  good  shooters  at  a  long  distance,  which 
was  the  main  point. 

They  went  along,  at  first,  in  quite  a  lively  manner, 
and  much  elated  with  the  prospect  of  a  grand  hunt. 
The  curlews  did  not  appear  to  have  moved  much  from 
their  original  position,  and  even  at  that  distance  could 
be  seen  running  along  on  the  ground  near  the  top  of  the 
distant  knoll  where  they  were  now  feeding. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what ! "  exclaimed  Jimmy  Godard,  the 
eldest  of  Mrs.  Godard's  boys.  "  Me  and  Charley  Turner 
will  go  around  on  the  east  side  of  the  hill,  and  you  and 
Tom  stay  here  for  a  minute  till  you  see  us  go  over  the 
point  there,  and  then  creep  up  on  this  side ;  then  if  the 
birds  fty,  we'll  drive  them  down  towards  the  end  of  the 
island,  —  while  if  they  try  to  cross  over  to  either  of  the 
other  islands,  we'll  get  a  shot  at  them  !  " 

This  was  such  good  logic  that  it  was  put  into  imme- 
diate operation,  and  soon  both  parties  were  cautiously 
approaching,  each  from  his  respective  position. 

The  guns  were  divided  so  that  both  parties  had  two, 
but  the  larger  party  of  boys,  contrary  to  the  rule  of 
equal  division,  had  both  single-barrelled  guns,  while  the 
smaller  party  had  both  double-barrelled  guns. 

"  Never  mind  ! "  said  Freddie,  "  if  they  have  got  more 
shots  than  we  have,  we  are  nearer  the  birds." 

As  Freddie  spoke  the  party  of  four  crept  close  up  to  a 
ledge  of  rocks,  near  by,  and  then,  following  them  along 
for  a  few  rods,  were  able  to  get  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  birds,  which  were  still  feeding,  unconscious  of 


A    CURLEW  HUNT,  189 

their  presence,  near  the  top  of  the  knoll.  When  the 
boys  reached  this  point,  they  halted,  and  getting  their 
guns  ready  they  prepared  to  shoot. 

"  Now,  wait  till  Jimmy  fires  ! "  said  Charley,  "  and 
then  let  'um  have  it,  just  as  they  rise." 

A  moment  more  and  two  sharp  reports  and  puffs  of 
blue  smoke  were  heard  and  seen,  —  then  the  boys  fired 
as  the  birds  gathered  themselves  for  flight,  and  while 
the  boys  behind  the  hill  gave  them  the  contents  of  their 
second  barrels,  the  flock,  like  a  great  cloud,  passed  slowly 
to  the  north  and  settled  once  more  on  the  island. 

"  We'll  have  two  more  shots  at  them ! "  exclaimed 
Jimmy  Godard,  as  he  appeared  over  the  top  of  the  hill ; 
"  over  where  they  are,  and  another  one  nearer  the  house ; 
they  don't  fly  very  far  at  a  time." 

"  Now,  let's  pick  up  the  birds ! "  said  Freddie,  who 
was  already  chasing  a  wounded  one  down  the  hill  full 
tilt. 

"  All  right ! "  cried  John,  as  he  disappeared  over  the 
crest  of  the  hill,  on  the  full  run,  after  another  one. 

"  Here's  one  fallen  into  the  water  ! "  cried  Charlie,  — 
"  that's  too  bad,  but  we'll  get  him  yet,  if  we  hurry." 

"  I'll  go  after  him,"  said  the  boy  who  had  accompanied 
them. 

"  Eleven ! "  cried  Jimmy,  "  and  three  out." 

"  Thirteen,  and  two  out,"  said  Freddie,  who  just  then 
appeared  with  his  birds  in  his  hands,  —  the  second  being 
one  that  he  had  found  lying  dead  down  the  hill  aways. 

"  Fourteen,  and  one  out ! "  echoed  John  from  the  top 
of  the  crest. 

"I'm  afraid  the  out  is  pretty  far  out,  too!"  cried 
Jimmy.  "See!  he's  running  and  nearly  half  over  to 
the  other  island." 


190  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Yes  !  and  somebody  else  is  gunning,  too  !  "  laughed 
Charley,  as  he  pointed  out  the  big  dog  Trimmer,  already 
close  upon  the  unfortunate  bird,  which  was  doing  its 
best  to  escape  its  pursuer;  but  without  success,  for  a 
moment  later  Trimmer  caught  its  wing  in  his  mouth  and 
turned  again  for  the  shore. 

"  Good  dog  ! "  shouted  Allie. 

"  Here,  Trimmer !  Good  Trimmer !  "  cried  Jimmy. 
"  Bring  it  here,  good  doggie ! " 

But  the  good  doggie,  however,  had  not  the  slightest 
intention  of  bringing  it  there ;  but  lay  down,  after  slink- 
ing himself,  and  began  to  play  with  the  bird  between  his 
forepaws.  Whenever  one  of  the  boys  came  near  him,  he 
would  seize  the  bird  in  his  mouth,  bound  off  a  few  rods, 
and  then  continue  to  play  with  the  unfortunate  thing, 
which  was  still  alive,  but  which  no  amount  of  sticks  or 
stones  would  make  him  drop,  so  the  boys,  finally,  went 
off  to  get  another  shot  at  the  flock,  before  they  flew 
away  entirely. 

After  a  good  deal  of  tramping,  some  climbing,  and 
considerable  crawling  on  the  hands  and  knees,  the  boys 
came  up  to  the  flock  again.  This  time  they  were  not  so 
successful  as  before  and  shot  only  seven  birds.  The  flock, 
as  Jimmy  had  said,  lighted  again  nearer  the  house,  and 
this  third  time,  as  the  birds  were  now  quite  wild,  they 
got  only  three  birds,  so  that  in  all  the  afternoon's  sport 
amounted  to  twenty-four,  and  the  one  that  Trimmer  still 
had  playing  with,  which  was  eventually  recovered  but  in 
so  mangled  a  condition  that  no  use  was  made  of  it. 

Greatly  elated  with  their  success  the  boys  returned  to 
the  house,  and  laid  their  spoils  before  Mr.  Murphy  and 
Mr.  Godard.  As  those  who  had  remained  in  the  North 
Star  had  had  so  few  curlews  to  eat  during  their  short 


A    CURLEW  HUNT.  191 

stay  on  the  coast,  it  was  voted  unanimously  to  send 
them  all  to  Max  for  dinner  next  day,  which  was  done  at 
once  by  the  same  boat  that  took  Mr.  Murphy  on  board, 
while  the  boys  remained  on  shore,  with  their  new  found 
friends,  to  see  what  further  sport  they  could  find  before 
it  became  dark. 

"Well,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Godard,  coming  down  the 
walk  to  the  wharf,  where  they  were  all  assembled, 
"  what  are  you  going  to  do,  now  ?  " 

"  We  don't  know,  sir ! "  replied  Allie. 

"  Well !  suppose  you  help  me,  here,  cast  off  this  boat, 
and  then  you  all  come  with  me !  Jump  in,  Jimmy,  and  you, 
Charley,  take  the  oars,  and  we'll  row  to  the  salmon  nets." 

The  boys  did  as  they  were  told,  and  soon  all  were  in, 
and  the  boat  making  for  the  point  just  opposite  a  low, 
long  point  of  the  opposite  island,  and  in  the  very  center 
of  the  narrow  passage  between  the  two  islands. 

"This  is  really  the  mouth  of  the  river,"  said  Mr. 
Godard,  "  and  we  have  set  out  our  nets  here  on  trial,  to 
see  if  we  can  get  anything.  There  are  plenty  here,  if 
we  can  only  strike  the  right  spot  for  them." 

After  a  short  pull,  for  the  distance  was  not  very  far, 
they  reached  the  point  and  found  the  nets. 

"  There's  something  there,  anyway  ! "  said  Mr.  God- 
ard, "  there  are  seven  buoys  under  the  water,  and  I  told 
the  men  to  haul  the  line  extra  taut  this  time." 

The  net  was  made  of  stout  twine,  and  was  nearly 
three  hundred  feet  long  and  about  twenty  deep,  of 
meshes  six  inches  wide.  The  bottom  was  kept  down  by 
heavy  stone  sinkers  at  both  ends  and  in  the  middle, 
while  the  top  was  fastened  to  a  long  rope,  which 
stretched  from  point  to  point,  across  the  pass,  and  was 
buoyed  up  with  large  pieces  of  cork. 


192  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  I  see  something  glittering  down  there !  "  exclaimed 
Freddie. 

"  Yes,  two  or  three  of  them  ! "  said  Allie. 

The  boat  approached  alongside,  and  Mr.  Godard  pulled 
up  the  line  with  his  hands,  while  he  extricated  a  salmon 
from  the  meshe's,  which  had  caught  it  around  the  neck 
just  back  of  the  gills. 

"  Well,  that's  not  bad !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Godard,  as  he 
turned  the  last  fish  in  the  boat.  "  Six  fine  fellows.  I 
guess  we'll  have  to  send  this  one,"  said  he,  picking  up  a 
fine,  large  one,  "  on  board  of  the  North  Star,  to  Mr.  Ben- 
ton.  Allie,  you  can  give  that  to  your  father  with  the 
'  compliments  of  the  season ! ' ' 

The  boys  all  laughed,  as  Allie  took  the  fish  and  laid 
it  near  him  in  the  boat. 

"  Twenty-four  curlew  and  a  salmon  ought  to  make  a 
mess  for  you  all  to-morrow,"  said  Mr.  Godard. 

The  boat  now  pulled  for  the  North  Star,  where  it 
landed  the  boys,  who  bade  good  night,  with  reluctance, 
to  their  companions  and  Mr.  Godard,  as  they  clambered 
up  the  side  of  the  vessel,  utterly  tired  out  with  their 
day's  sport. 

"  Oh,  you  good-for-nothing  rascals  ! "  exclaimed  Max, 
from  the  galley;  "back  again,  to  torment  me  for  supper, 
are  you  ?  "  he  added  with  a  pleasant  laugh.  "  Well,  I  got 
something  nice  for  you  this  time ;  guess  what  it  is." 

"I'm  too  hungry  to  guess  !"  said  Freddie,  with  some- 
thing of  a  whine,  —  "  yes  !  I  guess  'tis  fish." 

Max  laughed  loud  at  this,  but  added : 

"  No,  sir !  wrong  this  time ;  try  again  ! " 

"  Bread  and  butter,"  suddenly  shouted  Allie. 

"Well,  now,  you  are  good  at  guessing,"  said  Max. 
"  You  must  be  hungry,  to  guess  such  things  as  that ! " 


A   CURLEW  HUNT.  193 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is  ! "  said  John.  "  I  smell  the 
duck  and  I  see  the  apple-sauce  !  " 

"Ah,  you  bad  boy,"  laughed  Max.  "If  you  guess  what 
it  is  you  can't  have  any ; "  and  with  that  he  proceeded  to 
fill  the  plates  and  pass  them  around. 

For  a  time  nothing  was  heard  but  the  cracking  of 
bones,  and  the  suppressed  cry  for  some  more,  which 
echoed  so  often  that  the  supply  of  duck  seemed  about  to 
be  entirely  exhausted,  when  Max,  with  a  great  flourish, 
opened  the  oven  door  and  disclosed  another  one,  lying  in 
a  huge  pan  half  full  of  gravy. 

"  I  thought  that  one  would  not  be  enough,"  cried  he,  ex- 
ultantly. 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh ! "  cried  each  of  the  boys,  in  succession. 

"  There,  now ! "  said  Max ;  "  take  it  and  finish  it." 

About  half  an  hour  later  there  might  have  been  seen 
three  boys,  looking  like  tipsy  fellows,  struggling  down 
the  companion-way  to  the  cabin  below,  whence  they 
soon  sought  their  berths,  and,  by  nine  o'clock,  the  lights 
were  out  for  the  night,  and  all  was  quiet  on  board  the 
North  Star. 


194  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WHAT    MB.  FURNESS    AND    THE    BOYS    LEARNED    ABOUT 

SEALS. 

"  T1TT"ELL,  boys !  hurry  and  get  up,  if  you  are  going 
VV  ashore  with  us  to-day,"  cried  Mr.  Ready,  down 
the  companion-way,  the  next  morning,  about  half-past 
eight  o'clock. 

"  All  right ! "  answered  John,  as  he  sprang  out  of  his 
bunk,  and  putting  on  his  clothes,  hastened  on  deck. 
"Hello !  where  are  we  !  I  say,  boys  !  come  on  deck,  quick! 
I  guess  she's  dragged  her  anchor." 

"I  guess  she's  dragged  it  a  pretty  long  ways,"  laughed 
the  captain,  who  was  standing  near  the  stern  rail.  "  Why, 
man !  we're  nearly  twenty  miles  away  from  where  we 
were  last  night ;  we're  down  to — to — what  you  call  it  ?  " 
turning  to  one  of  the  men,  who  was  close  by,  —  "I  never 
can  remember  these  names." 

"  I  think  he  called  it  Bradawl,  sir,"  said  the  man. 

"  Bradore,  Bradore ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  just  then 
coming  along  the  deck,  and  rubbing  his  hands  smartly 
together,  as  if  very  much  elated  over  some  unusual  oc- 
currence. 

It  didn't  take  long  for  the  boys  to  appear  on  deck,  and 
soon  the  three  stood  gazing  toward  the  shore  close  by, 
and  rubbing  their  eyes  very  hard. 

"  When  did  you  hoist  the  anchor  ? "  cried  Allie ;  "  I 
didn't  hear  you." 


WHAT    THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  SEALS.        195 

"  Oh !  about  five  this  morning,  while  you  were  asleep," 
replied  the  captain. 

"  I  declare  !  this  is  perfectly  beautiful ! "  continued 
Allie.  As  he  spoke,  a  light  cloud,  for  a  moment,  passed 
across  the  sun's  path  and  threw  a  dark  shadow  upon  the 
green  slopes  of  the  high,  rocky  shore.  "How  I  wish 
mother  and  Eva  could  be  here  and  see  this  ! " 

"  We'll  come  up  here,  sometime,  and  bring  them,  per- 
haps," said  Freddie. 

"  Yes  !  we  shall  have  to,  Freddie." 

"  And  then  we  will  —  " 

"Get  into  the  boat  and  sit  down,"  said  Mr.  Ready, 
rubbing  his  hands  and  bowing  very  low,  chuckling  audi- 
bly, as  he  said  it. 

"We'll  go  with  you  after  we've  had  our  breakfast," 
put  in  John,  "  and  you  must  go  without  us,  if  you  can't 
wait." 

"  Ah  ! "  replied  Mr.  Ready,  very  courteously  and  con- 
descendingly ;  "  and  think,  how  much  you  could  have 
eaten  while  you  have  been  talking." 

The  boys  took  the  hint  at  once,  and  started  for  the 
galley.  A  hasty  breakfast,  and  all  were  ready  to  go 
ashore. 

"So  this  is  the  famous  Bradawl?"  said  the  captain, 
who  persisted  in  his  curious  pronunciation  of  the  place. 

"This  place,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "is  where  the  first 
colony  of  any  importance,  of  which  we  have  any  record, 
was  established.  It  was  then  called  'Brest/  and  is  said 
to  have  been  founded  somewhere  about  1508,  and  soon 
had  about  two  hundred  houses  and  nearly  a  thousand 
inhabitants,  with  more  than  twice  as  many  in  the  sum- 
mer time,  and  during  the  fishing  season ;  but  the  colony 
did  not  live  over  a  century  and  a  half." 


196  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Do  not  the  fish  frequent  this  part  of  the  coast  now, 
as  they  did  when  such  a  large  colony  was  founded?" 
asked  Mr.  Murphy. 

"Without  doubt,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "the  fish  then 
migrated  all  along  this  coast,  and  this  was  simply  the 
starting  point  from  which  parties  went  out  to  wherever 
the  fish  were  most  abundant,  just  as  they  do  now,  from 
some  of  these  large  places." 

"Are  there  no  remains  of  any  of  these  houses  to  be 
found  now-a-days  ?  " 

"  The  last  time  I  was  here,"  continued  Mr.  Taylor,  "  I 
searched  everywhere,  and  could  neither  find  a  remnant 
of  any  of  them  nor  of  anybody  who  ever  did !  " 

"  It  is  now,  then,  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
since  the  settlement  was  abandoned  ?  " 

"  Yes,  fully  that,  and  without  doubt  all  traces  of  it  are 
now  finally  destroyed ! " 

"  What  a  field  for  romance  and  romantic  search  lost," 
sighed  Mr.  Murphy. 

"Come,  now,"  said  Freddie,  "do  tell  us  something 
about  the  discovery  of  Labrador,  Mr.  Taylor." 

"There  is  very  little  to  tell,"  replied  the  latter.  "It 
was  undoubtedly  discovered  during  the  very  earliest 
part  of  our  history.  The  Welsh,  Irish,  Norwegians, 
and  .Swedes,  as  well  as  the  English  and  French,  all  set 
up  claims  to  its  discovery,  especially  the  two  latter  pow- 
ers, who  have  had  much  contention  among  themselves 
with  regard  to  the  matter.  The  old  Norsemen  undoubt- 
edly visited  it  about  the  year  1000.  Sebastian  Cabot, 
Cortereal  (a  Spaniard),  Basque  fishermen,  Jacques  Car- 
tier,  all  visited  here  very  early.  We  will  hope  some 
day  to  know  more  of  this  unknown  region  so  near  our 
home,"  said  Mr.  Taylor ;  "  but  here  we  are  on  shore." 


WHAT    THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  SEALS.        197 

The  shore  was  a  small,  low  island,  with  several  smaller 
islands  near  by,  and  of  a  totally  different  character  and 
appearance  from  the  bold,  high,  rocky  coast  line  directly 
in  front  of  them,  or  the  sandy  stretch  of  level  country  at 
their  right. 

The  island  possessed  two  houses,  the  one  being  a  small 
red,  hut-like  house,  and  the  other  somewhat  similar, 
though,  as  they  landed,  its  chimneys  alone  were  visible 
over  the  neighboring  mounds  of  earth  and  rock. 

"Who  lives  here?"  asked  Allie,  as  they  jumped  to 
the  wharf,  where  all  was  solitary  and  still. 

"  Sam  Jones ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  "  and  he  catches  seal 
for  a  living  ! " 

"  Oh,  how  nice  ! "  cried  Freddie  ;  "  now  we  can  find 
out  something  about  the  seal  fishery,  and  perhaps  take 
mother  and  Eva  home  a  sealskin  cloak  apiece." 

"  H'm-m-m !  Yes  —  apiece  ! "  returned  Mr.  Benton,  in 
such  a  dubious  tone  that  everybody  laughed  loudly.  This 
noise  set  several  dogs  barking  very  savagely,  but,  though 
they  eyed  the  strangers  fiercely,  and  kept  \\p  a  continual 
howling,  they  remained  near  the  house  and  did  not  ven- 
ture to  molest  any  one.  The  dogs,  in  turn,  started  up  the 
inmates  or  inmate  of  the  red  house,  who  soon  appeared 
at  the  door,  looked  out  cautiously,  and  then  came  out 
upon  the  steps,  and,  in  a  very  shrill  voice,  invited  the 
party  in,  while  he  continually  thrashed  around  him  with 
a  long  pole  at  the  dogs ;  they  soon  slunk  beneath  the 
house  and  disappeared,  showing  only  the  tips  of  their 
noses,  from  which  issued  a  combination  of  growls,  snarls, 
and  barks,  all  the  while  the  group  were  approaching. 

The  visitors  now  entered  the  house,  and  seated  them- 
selves. The  interior  of  the  hut  or  cabin  consisted  of  a 
large  and  a  small  room.  In  the  center  of  the  back  wall 


198  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

of  the  former  a  huge  iron  stove  sent  forth  heat  enough 
to  fairly  roast  them  all. 

The  room  was  poorly  furnished,  yet  contained  all 
that  the  occupants  seemed  to  need,  of  the  most  useful 
and  only  the  most  positively  essential  articles ;  yet 
there  was  a  sort  of  comfortable,  homelike  feeling  as 
the  party,  after  leaving  the  vessel,  sat  in  the  chairs 
and  on  the  wooden  benches,  and  listened  to  the  tales 
of  their  host. 

Old  Sam  Jones  was  a  bachelor,  and  lived  all  alone  by 
himself,  in  this  beautiful,  but  remote  spot.  He  was  a 
sort  of  mixture  of  a  Robinson  Crusoe  and  a  hermit,  yet 
his  bachelor  eccentricities  shone  out  strongly  above  every- 
thing else,  and  one  could  readily  see  that  chairs,  benches, 
tables,  and  even  many  other  smaller  articles,  were  home- 
made. 

"  Well ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jones,  when  all  were  seated 
as  comfortably  as  the  accommodations  would  allow; 
"  glad  to  see  you  all,  gentlemen.  Strangers  is  rare  'round 
here  now-a-days,  and  we's  allers  glad  to  see  'urn  ! " 

Freddie  thought,  at  that  moment,  that  the  solemn  cir- 
cle was  spread  out  in  a  manner  well  calculated  to  show 
each  one  to  his  best  advantage,  and  could  not  suppress  a 
smothered  giggle. 

"  Hush ! "  whispered  Allie,  nudging  his  brother. 

"  I  don't  know  any  on  ye,  but  hope  ye're  all  well ;  won't 
any  on  ye  have  somefin  t'eat,  —  ken  bile  the  kittle  in  a 
minute  ?  " 

Mr.  Ready,  who  had  been  holding  back,  could  now 
stand  it  no  longer,  so  he  walked  on  tip-toe  up  to  the  old 
man's  back  and  gave  him  a  hearty  slap  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Well,  Sam  Jones,  how  are  you ! " 

Sam  started,  doubled  up  his  lips  as  if  to  blow  vigor- 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  SEALS.        199 

ously  at  something,  and  stared  in  amazement  at  the 
speaker. 

"  Why,  I'm  Ready  !  Ready  !  don't  you  remember  me  ! 
Don't  you  recollect  how  you  and  I  dodged  the  cutter, 
three  years  ago,  down  to  Wolf  Bay  ?  " 

"Well,  I  declare,  now  !  "  said  the  old  man,  "he's  been 
shaved  sence  I  saw  him,  last,  and  per'aps  the  cutter  did 
it,"  he  added,  with  a  loud  chuckle,  as  he  shook  hands 
with  Mr.  Ready.  "  Glad  to  see  ye,  but  ain't  yer  looking 
thin  ?  I  guess  yer  were  shaved  pretty  clean,  want  yer  ?  " 
he  said,  as  he  touched  Mr.  Ready's  cheek  with  his  finger. 
"The  cutter  did  his  business  well,"  he  added,  winking 
very  hard  at  the  crowd,  while  Mr.  Ready  turned  a  little 
red.  "I  was  shaved  onct,"  said  old  Sain,  "but  not  since 
I  got  them  things,"  and  he  pointed  with  his  long  bony 
finger  all  around  the  room ;  "  but  as  long  as  ye  won't  eat 
anything,  come  out  and  see  the  place." 

To  this  proposition  all  hands  agreed,  with  eagerness, 
none  more  so  than  Mr.  Ready  himself,  who  was  perhaps 
now  quite  as  anxious  to  get  away  from  Sam  Jones  as  he 
was  before  to  go  and  see  him. 

"  How  many  seals  did  you  get  this  spring  ? "  asked 
Mr.  Ready. 

"  Oh,  about  three  hundred  —  all  told,  bellamers  and  old, 
mostly  Harps ! " 

"  How  many  kinds  of  seals  do  you  have  here  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Furness ;  "  I  believe  I  used  to  know,  once,  but  I  have 
forgotten  now !  " 

"  Oh !  we  have  six  or  seven  kinds  ;  let  me  see  :  there 
is  the  Harp  seal,  the  male  has  the  figure  of  a  harp  on  its 
back ;  the  Hooded  seal,  with  a  sort  of  a  hood  on  his  head, 
and  some  other  little  differences ;  the  Gray  seal ;  the 
Squar  Flipper;  the  Gray  or  Jar  seal;  and  the  Harbor 


200  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

seal,"  said  old  Sam.  "  And  some  say,"  he  added,  "  that 
there's  another  kind,  but  I  don't  believe  'um !  I've  fished 
nigh  on  to  forty  years  and  never  caught  a  Gray  seal,  but 
I've  hearn  tell  on  'um,  and  perhaps  they're  here,  —  but 
I  don't  believe  that,  nuther." 

"  What  ones  do  you  catch  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Furness. 

"  I  ketch  Harbors,  Harps,  Hoods,  and  onct  in  awhile 
a  Squar  Flipper.  The  Squar  Flippers  is  big  fellows, 
and  we  don't  get  'um  very  often,  sometimes  we  shoot 
'um  on  the  ice  ;  I  shot  one  last  year,  and  biled  thirty- 
nine  gallons  of  ile  out'er  'im.  He  weighed  nigh  on  to 
nine  hundred  pounds,  altogether." 

"  Do  you  catch  many  Harbor  seals  ?  "  again  queried  Mr. 
Furness. 

"  Oh,  no !  We  get  a  few,  now  and  then,  but  they 
mostly  goes  up  the  river  in  herds,  and  so  the  folks  who 
lives  near  the  mouths  gets  the  most  of  them.  They  is 
small  seal,  and  mighty  purty  sometimes.  They  is  spot- 
ted all  over  like  a  leopard  and  some  call  'um  Sea  leopards, 
so  I've  hearn  tell,"  said  Sam.  "  We  can't  get  only  about 
two  gallons  of  ile  out  of  'um,  and  they're  small  little 
things,  and  no  'count  anyway,"  he  added. 

"  So  that  reduces  your  catch  to  two  kinds,  the  Harp 
and  the  Hooded  seals,"  said  Mr.  Furness.  "  You  see  it's 
so  long  since  I  was  down  here  I'm  kind  of  rusty  on  the 
seal  question,  and  want  to  get  brightened  up  a  little." 

"  Hump,  yes  !  Suppose  you  know  more  than  me  about 
it,  now,"  drawled  out  old  Sam.  "You  Yankees  is  awful 
smart,  you'll  learn  more  in  half  an  hour  than  we  folks, 
who  do  the  work,  do  in  fifty  years,"  said  Sam,  with  a 
sort  of  half  laugh  and  half  sneer ;  "  and  then  ye  won't 
know  as  much  about  it  as  you  did  before." 

"  Well,  tell  us  what  you  know  about  them." 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  AS  OUT  SEALS.        201 

"  Well,  then  !  "  said  old  Sam,  "  it  takes  three  years  for 
'urn  to  grow." 

Here  Freddie,  as  usual,  emitted  one  of  his  suppressed 
giggles,  but  the  old  man  caught  him  up  instantly. 

"  What  yer  giggling  fer  ?  Yer  make  a  noise  just  like 
a  young  bedlamer  calling  for  its  mother ! " 

"  What's  a  bellamer  or  bedlamer,  as  you  called  them 
both  ?  "  said  Freddie. 

"  Why,  it's  the  young  'un  in  the  second  and  third  year, 
before  it  gets  to  be  a  'sadler.' " 

"  And  what's  a  '  sadler '  ?  " 

"  It's  an  old  'un,  you  youngster,"  snarled  Sam,  "  ye  don't 
know  nothing,  and  I  told  ye  so." 

After  this  expression  of  opinion,  Master  Freddie 
thought  it  wise  to  be  still,  and  let  the  others  do  the  talk- 
ing. All  this  time  they  had  been  walking  towards  the 
shed,  which  they  now  reached. 

The  interior  of  the  shed  was  not  unlike  that  of  Mr. 
Godard's  fish-house.  There  were  a  large  number  of  nets 
strewn  about  the  floor,  or  laying  in  piles  in  the  corners  ; 
a  huge  cauldron  resting  upon  a  framework  of  stone,  which 
showed  evidence  of  a  recent  fire  under  it ;  and,  near  by,  a 
large  number  of  hogsheads  and  puncheons,  —  of  the  latter, 
some  were  full  and  some  empty. 

Mr.  Furness  took  up  one  of  the  nets  and  examined  it. 
It  was  made  of  very  stout  cord,  similar  to  that  of  a  small 
fish-line.  Its  general  make  up  was  much  like  the  salmon 
nets  that  they  had  so  recently  seen,  only  twice  as  large. 

"  Are  these  the  nets  you  catch  your  seals  in  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Furness. 

"  Yes ;  the  seal  come  along  in  herds,  at  certain  times 
of  the  year,  both  in  spring  and  fall,  and  at  certain  times 
in  the  day,  more  often  than  others.  We  keep  watch  all 


202  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

the  time,  and  when  we  see  a  herd  comin',  we  begin  to 
shoot,  fire  our  guns,  and  make  all  the  noise  we  can,  so 
that  the  seals  will  be  skeered  and  keep  under  the  water. 
Then  they  don't  see  the  nets,  and  get  tangled  in  the 
meshes.  The  meshes  are  about  eight  inches  wide,  and 
jest  large  enough  to  let  the  head  of  the  seal  in;  the  seal 
never  thinks  of  backing  out,  but  always  goes  straight 
ahead,  so  that  if  he  once  gits  his  head  in  the  mesh  he 
is  caught.  After  a  time  we  go  out  in  the  boat  and  kill 
all  them  we  have  caught,  by  blows  on  the  nose  with 
a  big  club.  A  seal  ginerally  stays  under  water  for 
only  five  or  ten  minutes  at  a  time,  but  if  forced,  they 
will  swim  long  distances  without  coming  to  the  surface 
to  breathe. 

"  This,"  said  old  Sam,  taking  a  skin  from  a  large  roll, 
and  showing  prettily  spotted  and  silver  white  lines,  "  is 
the  skin  of  a  Harbor  seal,  one  of  the  kind  that  live  on 
the  coast  the  year  around.  This  one,"  taking  another, 
and  much  larger  one,  "  is  of  a  young  Harp,  and  we  call 
the  Harp  and  Hood  seal,  'passing  seal/  as  they  only 
come  in  the  spring  and  fall,  and  pass  down  and  up  the 
coast,  according  to  the  season.  We  git  five  or  six  gallons 
of  ile  from  the  passing  seal,  and  they  weigh  four  to  five 
hundred  pounds  apiece.  They  feed  on  young  cod,  and 
when  we  have  a  good  year  for  seal,  it  is  a  poor  year  for 
cod,  and  if  the  cod  are  plenty,  seals  is  scarce.  The  two 
kinds  ginerally  come  along  together,  the  males  don't 
ginerally  come  till  the  females  have  jest  passed." 

"Why,  you  are  giving  us  quite  a  history  of  seals,  Mr. 
Jones,"  said  Mr.  Furness. 

"  Well !  yer  welcome  to  all  I  know  about  it,"  replied 
old  Sam,  "and  that  ain't  much,  and  'twont  do  you  no 
good  nuther,  'cause  yer  won't  know  it  no  better  when 


WHAT    THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  SEALS.        203 

I've  told  yer,  and  nobody '11  believe  half  I  say,  —  but  I 
don't  keer  fer  that,  if  yer  satisfied." 

"  Go  on,  Mr.  Jones ;  we  enjoy  hearing  you  talk  very 
much,  anyway,"  said  Mr.  Furness,  "  if  we  don't  have  any- 
thing but  your  word  for  it ;  that's  good  enough  with  us." 

Old  Sam  was  evidently  pleased  with  the  flattery,  and 
proceeded : 

"Now  when  we  kill  a  seal,  we  haul  'urn  on  shore  and 
skin  'um  first ;  the  carcass  is  salted  down  for  dog  meat 
in  the  winter.  Then  the  skin,  with  its  layer  of  fat,  is 
taken  and  skulped,  that  is,  the  fat  took  off,  and  the 
skin  put  into  a  barrel  of  brine  or  pickle,  as  we  call  it,  to 
keep  till  we  want  to  use  it.  After  that  we  take  the  fat, 
cut  it  into  small  pieces  about  an  inch  square,  throw  them 
into  the  iron  kittle  here,  and  try  out  the  oil.  The  fat  of 
young  seal  produces  pale  seal  oil,  and  that  of  the  old  seal 
dark  or  straw-colored  seal  oil,  and  each  kind,  by  strainin' 
and  other  ways,  is  reduced  to  two  or  three  grades.  Seal 
skins  are  used  for  a  variety  of  purposes,  and  a  good  many 
are  used  here  on  the  coast  for  various  kinds  of  clothing, 
and  also  for  many  fancy  things." 

Old  Sam,  while  he  told  off  all  this,  stood  leaning  with 
one  hand  on  a  big  hogshead  full  of  brine  and  skins,  some 
of  which  latter  he  then  took  out  and  stretched  upon  the 
floor  for  his  visitors  to  see.  They  were  dark,  dirty  look- 
ing, leathery-like  objects,  without  any  apparent  form  or 
color,  and  totally  unlike  the  bright,  handsome-colored 
skins  previously  seen. 

While  telling  off  this  story,  old  Sam  had  added  many 
a  quaint  old  drawl  and  queer  expression,  which  showed 
that  the  main  part  of  it  was  drawn  from  actual  experi- 
ence, while  a  great  deal  might  well  have  been  learned 
from  others,  and  that  the  whole  was  a  sort  of  an  oration 


204  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

which  he  had  repeated  so  many  times  that  it  had  become 
a  sort  of  machine  work  with  him  to  repeat  it.  When  he 
reached  the  end,  however,  old  Sam  hit  the  puncheon,  upon 
which  he  had  been  leaning,  a  tremendous  thwack  upon 
the  side  with  the  toe  of  his  boot,  and  jerked  out  the  sen- 
tence : 

"  And  when  we  git  through  we  sell  the  stuff,  and  get 
the  money ! " 

Then  he  clanked  a  few  coppers  together  that  were  in 
his  pocket,  and  proceeded  to  twist  off  a  remarkably  large 
"  chaw  of  terbaccer ; "  then,  saying  that  "  that  was  all 
ther  was  to  it,"  he  put  his  hands  into  his  pockets, 
marched  out,  and  ordered  the  rest  to  "come  out  now 
quick,"  because  he  wanted  to  lock  up. 

Mr.  Ready  now  reached  carefully  around  in  his  coat- 
tail  pocket  and  drew  out  a  large  piece  of  "  navy  plug " 
and  slyly  placed  it  in  old  Sam's  pocket. 

"  Here,  what  yer  doing  ?  "  demanded  old  Sam,  as  he 
swung  his  arm  around,  with  the  strength  of  a  giant  —  for 
he  was  a  very  stout  and  strong  man,  if  he  was  tall  —  un- 
til his  fingers  came  in  contact  with  the  "  terbaccer,"  which 
he  clutched  and  examined  with  the  eagerness  of  an  old 
miser. 

"How  much  more  yer  got  like  that,  and  what's  it 
worth  a  pound  ?  "  he  whispered. 

"  Never  mind  now,"  whispered  back  Mr.  Ready,  "  I'll 
see  yer  again.  I'm  letting  my  beard  grow  a  bit,"  he 
added. 

Old  Sam  looked  at  him,  and  Mr.  Ready  winked  very 
hard,  while  old  Sam  winked  back  and  chuckled  heartily. 

The  party  now  strolled  about  the  place,  some  collecting 
specimens ;  some  taking  a  boat  and  rowing  over  to  the 
mainland,  where  they  amused  themselves  in  climbing  the 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  SEALS.       205 

cliffs  and  high  hills  that  were  on  every  side ;  while  Mr. 
Taylor  and  Mr.  Jacobs  rowed  over  to  another  portion 
of  the  shore  to  try  their  luck  trout  fishing  in  a  stream 
which  ran  from  a  large  pond,  both  near  by.  Mr.  Benton 
returned  on  board  with  Jack  Eeady,  while  Mr.  Ready 
and  Mr.  Jones  disappeared  together,  closely  linked  in 
each  other's  arms,  and  thus  the  day  wore  on  until  even- 
ing, when  all  met  together  again  on  board  the  North 
Star. 

"  Hallo ! "  exclaimed  John,  the  group  of  boys  being 
first  to  arrive  on  board,  "  there  come  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr. 
Jacobs.  I  wonder  if  they  have  got  any  fish  ?  " 

"I'll  bet  they  didn't  get  a  thing ! "  cried  Allie. 

"  No  ?  there  is  some  big  thing  laying  on  the  thwart  of 
the  boat ;  I  guess  'tis  a  salmon  by  its  size,"  added  John. 

"  More  like  'tis  a  codfish,"  put  in  Freddie. 

"  Humph ! "  said  Allie,  "  where  would  they  get  a  cod- 
fish, —  on  shore  in  the  bushes  ?  " 

Freddie  was  silent  at  this  correction,  and  waited  for 
the  boat  to  approach,  which  it  soon  did. 

"  Yes ;  'tis  a  salmon ! "  shouted  John. 

"No  fit's  a  big  trout,"  cried  Mr.  Taylor  in  exultation, 
as  he  handed  him  carefully  to  Max ;  "  and  it  took  me 
over  half  an  hour  to  land  him,  and  here  are  the  rest,"  at 
the  same  time  he  handed  up  a  string  of  about  a  dozen 
good-sized  speckled  beauties.  "I  caught  the  big  one 
and  two  others,  and  Mr.  Jacobs  caught  the  rest,  but  I 
would  rather  have  taken  the  big  one  than  all  the  oth- 
ers." 

"  I  say,  Max,"  shouted  Mr.  Taylor,  as  Max  disappeared 
in  the  galley ;  "  can  we  have  the  little  ones  for  supper  ? 
They  are  so  much  better  fresh,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I'll  cook  them  for  you,"  replied  Max. 


206  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

The  noise  brought  Mr.  Bentcn  on  deck,  who  examined 
the  big  fish  very  carefully,  and  applauded  the  "fine 
catch." 

Then  Mr.  Furness,  Mr.  Ready,  and  Mr.  Murphy  ap- 
peared, and  shortly  afterward  supper  was  announced. 

After  supper  old  Sam  came  on  board  to  see  the  vessel, 
and  do  a  little  trading  with  Mr.  Ready.  He  brought  with 
him  two  very  prettily  spotted  sealskins,  which  he  gave, 
one  to  Mr.  Ready  and  the  other  to  Mr.  Benton. 

Freddie  was  quite  disappointed  when  he  found  that 
they  were  the  hair  and  not  the  fur  seal,  and  that  he 
could  not  take  home  a  cloak  to  Eva  and  his  mother. 

"  Never  mind,"  he  said,  "  Eva  shall  have  a  great  black- 
backed  gull  stuffed,  and  mother  shall  have  a  duck." 

An  hour  afterwards  and  the  boys  were  fishing  for  torn- 
cod  over  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and  hauling  them  in  so 
livel^,  and  such  big  ones,  that  the  captain  let  one  of 
the  men  clean  the  largest  of  the  fish,  and  salt  them 
dow^  in  a  barrel ;  before  darkness  stopped  their  sport, 
the  boys  had  taken  over  thirty  large  fish,  besides  an 
endless  number  of  smaller  ones,  that  had  been  all 
thrown  back  again. 

Mr.  Murphy  and  Allie  had  great  sport  to  see  which 
would  catch  the  most.  They  came  out  even  on  fourteen, 
and  then  Allie  had  a  streak  of  luck  that  took  him  up  to 
twenty -three,  when  he  could  catch  no  more,  and  Mr.  Mur- 
phy closed  his  record  at  fourteen,  with  a  sculpin  to  end 
off  with. 

Thus  the  evening  wore  away,  and  the  sun  sank  lower  and 
lower  until  it  had  disappeared  behind  the  distant  hills,  and 
left  only  a  faint  glimmering  of  gold  near  the  horizon. 

"  What  makes  us  see  the  sun  for  so  long  a  time  up 
here  ?  "  asked  Freddie 


WHAT   THEY  LEARNED  ABOUT  SEALS.        207 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  that  the  difference  in  latitude 
makes  the  difference  ?  "  said  Mr.  Taylor,  who  happened 
to  be  standing  near. 

"  But  why  is  it  ?  "  persisted  the  boy. 

"Don't  you  remember  that  the  days  are  longer  and 
longer  the  farther  north  you  go,  until  you  get  far  enough 
to  see  the  sun  all  day,  'the  midnight  sun,'  that  c.ie  of 
our  writers  tells  us  about,  as  visible  in  the  extreme  north 
of  Norway  ?  And  in  the  very  far  north  or  south,  at  the 
poles,  in  fact,  the  days  and  nights  are  about  equal,  of  six 
months'  duration  each,"  replied  Mr.  Taylor.  "  We  are  so 
far  north  that  we  have  very  long  days  in  summer  with 
long  twilights,  and  very  short  days  in  winter.  I  have 
seen  to  read  in  books  at  ten  o'clock  by  the  twilight  alone, 
and  it  is  quite  light  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
You  will  study  about  these  things,  and  the  reasons  for 
them,  some  day." 

While  Mr.  Taylor  was  speaking,  a  faint  light  was  gath- 
ering in  the  sky  overhead,  which  had  now  assumed  the 
form  of  a  broad,  undulating  band  or  belt,  extending 
nearly  across  the  heavens  from  northeast  to  southwest, 
and  a  little  less  than  half  way  to  the  zenith. 

"Look  at  the  Northern  Lights  !"  cried  Allie. 

All  bent  their  eyes  in  that  direction,  while  the  strange 
light,  disturbed  by  the  activity  of  its  own  peculiar  phe- 
nomena, began  to  vibrate,  to  coil  and  uncoil,  fold  and 
unfold,  wax  and  wane,  to  move  and  shift  about  in  all 
possible  curves  and  gyrations,  as  gracefully  as  if  it  were 
a  banner  or  streamer  waving  in  the  breeze.  At  that 
moment  the  attention  of  the  group  was  called  to  the  unu- 
sual phosphorescence  of  the  water  about  them,  as  stirred 
by  the  dippings  of  the  oars  of  a  boat  which  was  just  leav- 
ing the  vessel's  side. 


208  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

11  How  perfect !  "  sighed  Allie,  "  and  mother  and  Eva 
cannot  even  see  a  picture  of  it." 

"  Nor  anybody  else,  now,"  added  Mr.  Keady,  who  was 
standing  near. 

The  boys  hastily  gazed  upward.  The  band  had  en- 
tirely disappeared,  leaving  in  its  place  only  a  multitude 
of  short,  straight  lines,  shooting  upward  towards  the 
zenith  of  the  heavens ;  soon,  too,  these  disappeared  almost 
wholly,  leaving  the  night  dark  nearly  to  blackness,  and 
the  display  was  over. 

"  Come,  let's  go  to  bed,"  said  Allie. 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  209 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

HOMEWARD    BOUND. 

ALL  things  must  have  their  end  at  last ;  and  the 
delightful  stay  in  "  Labrador,"  of  four  weeks  of 
sunshine,  rain,  and  fog,  also  had  an  end ;  and  one  bright, 
pleasant  morning,  about  five  o'clock,  of  a  day  toward  the 
latter  part  of  August,  the  captain's  order  came,  clear 
and  loud : 

"  All  hands  up  anchor  for  home  ! " 

And  what  a  lively  time  of  it  they  all  made.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  men  never  worked  harder  or  sung  more  cheerily, 
as  the  anchor  chain  rattled  and  clanked  twice  as  lively 
as  ever  before.  Then  one  after  another  the  sails  were 
set,  until,  with  full  canvas,  the  North  Star  shot  from  its 
harbor  into  the  uncertain  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence, and  the  homeward  voyage  had  begun. 

"  Well,  boys !  "  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  pack  up  your  things, 
and  let  the  mate  store  them  away  in  the  hold ;  we  may 
see  rough  weather  before  we  get  to  land !  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir ! "  came  the  sailor-like  response,  and  im- 
mediately boxes,  barrels,  and  trunks  were  paraded  on 
deck,  and  packing  became  the  order  of  the  day. 

"  I  say,  Allie  ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  "  have  you  locked 
the  alcohol  box  ?  " 

"Yes,  long  ago!  and  it's  stowed  away  down  in  the 
hold  before  now." 

"  Have  you  labeled  it  ?  " 


210  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  No !  I  must  do  that,  and  then  it  can  go  on  by  express 
right  from  the  boat." 

"  Oh,  John  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  "  did  you  see  any- 
thing of  the  cover  to  my  barrel  of  trout  ?  I  think  it  was 
around  here  this  morning." 

"  It  is  nailed  on  to  the  bottom  of  the  barrel,  sir,"  said 
one  of  the  sailors,  who  was  standing  near ;  "  shall  I  take 
it  off  and  head  up  the  barrel,  sir  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  you  please,  and  then  I  will  label  it,  and  you 
can  stow  it  away  down  in  the  hold." 

"Ah!  Jack,  where  is  that  fresh  salmon  that  we  got 
last  night  ?  "  said  Mr.  Heady. 

"  The  cook  has  it,  and  is  going  to  boil  it  for  dinner," 
replied  Jack. 

"  No  he  isn't ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  somewhat  testi- 
ly—"Ah,  Max!" 

"  Yes,  sir !  " 

"  You  keep  that  salmon  for  to-night ;  it  will  relish  bet- 
ter, with  the  egg  sauce,  for  supper,  and  cook  the  chowder 
for  dinner;  the  codfish  will  not  keep  so  well  as  the 
salmon." 

"All  right,  sir,  just  as  you  say !"  replied  Max's  cheer- 
ful voice;  "and  will  you  go  and  see  Master  Tod,  sir, 
who  is  very  sick  ?  " 

"  Why,  certainly  ! "  said  Mr.  Eeady,  as  he  hurried  off 
and  down  the  forecastle. 

Master  Tod,  since  the  accident  by  the  pistol,  had 
been  in  the  hands  of  Max,  who  alone,  among  all  in  the 
ship,  could  make  him  mind ;  he  had  by  this  time  become 
quite  proficient  in  the  art  of  cooking,  —  as  blacks  often 
do,  —  and  had  won  golden  opinions  already  for  his  tal- 
ents in  the  cooking  line,  —  Master  Tod,  I  say,  from 
eating  too  much  while  on  shore  and  in  port,  was  now 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  211 

suffering  terribly,  or  imagined  that  he  was,  from  "mal- 
de-mer." 

Mr.  Eeady  soon  came  on  deck  again,  and  reported  that 
a  little  of  the  liquid  part  of  the  chowder,  at  dinner, 
would  probably  be  of  greater  benefit  in  the  case  than  any- 
thing else  he  could  think  of,  and  then  disappeared  down 
the  cabin  —  at  the  same  time  the  jovial  face  of  Mr. 
Murphy  and  his  meerschaum  pipe  appeared  coming  up 
the  companion-way. 

"  Has  anybody  seen  my  pipe  case  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Mur- 
phy, in  a  very  excited  and  husky  tone  of  voice. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Murphy  ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  "  how  hoarse 
you  are  !  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  I've  lost  my  pipe  case ! " 

Allie  whispered,  in  a  very  hoarse  whisper : 

"  Is  that  what  affects  your  voice,  Mr.  Murphy  ?  " 

«  Oh,  no  !  got  a  cold." 

A  loud  roar  from  Allie  was  his  response  to  this  self- 
evident  answer  to  his  question ;  which  was  repeated  as 
the  unfortunate  Mr.  Murphy,  who  was  tugging  away  at 
his  handkerchief,  brought  it  out  of  his  pocket  with  a 
nourish  that  sent  something  black,  that  had  been  the 
cause  of  its  clinging  so  tightly  to  the  inside  of  the 
pocket,  over  the  side  of  the  vessel  into  the  water. 

"  There  it  goes ! "  said  the  doleful  whisper ;  and  Mr. 
Murphy,  looking  and  speaking  more  like  a  ghost  than  a 
man,  actually  rubbed  his  eyes  two  or  three  times  with 
his  handkerchief,  as  he  gazed  disconsolately  toward  the 
pipe  case,  now  floating  away,  far  behind  them,  "and  it 
cost  me  thirty-seven  cents  ! " 

Another  roar  sent  Mr.  Murphy  down  into  the  cabin,  in 
a  great  huff,  while  the  word  galloot  echoed  back  strangely 
from  the  companion-way,  then  all  was  silent. 


212  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Well,  boys  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jacobs,  half  an  hour  la-  • 
ter,  "  I  suppose  that  everything  is  packed  away  by  this 
time." 

"  Oh,  dear,  no !  "  sighed  Allie.  "  I  only  wish  that  it 
was." 

"Why,  then,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs,  "are  you  waiting 
around  here,  if  you  have  more  work  to  do  ?  " 

"  We've  only  been  waiting  for  a  few  moments,"  replied 
Allie;  "we've  been  working  hard  since  breakfast,  and 
'tis  now  eleven  o'clock;  won't  you  give  us  time  for 
recess  ?  " 

Mr.  Jacobs  laughed  heartily  at  this,  but  replied : 

"  I  hope  you  will  get  your  things  packed  away  soon 
now,  for  I  fear  that  it  is  going  to  be  rough  weather,  and 
the  sailors  want  the  baggage  stowed  away  down  in  the 
hold  before  it  comes  on ! " 

The  boys  then  continued  their  packing,  and  soon  had 
boxes,  barrels,  and  trunks,  all  nicely  and  snugly  stowed 
away  for  the  bad  weather,  in  case  it  .should  come. 

The  collection  of  plants  numbered  nearly  one  hundred 
varieties  and  a  large  number  of  specimens  of  each  vari- 
ety ;  some  forty  species  of  seaweeds,  and  nearly  as  many 
lichens  ;  some  twenty  or  thirty  different  kinds  of  mosses ; 
and  their  collection  of  birds,  and  birds'  eggs,  fishes,  and 
sea-animals  of  all  kinds. 

"  Quite  a  collection,"  said  Mr.  Jacobs ;  "  boys,  you  have 
done  well ! " 

"  Our  big  box,  three  barrels  full  of  bottled  and  dried 
specimens,  and  a  trunk ! "  exclaimed  Freddie.  "  What  a 
fine  time  we  will  have  unpacking,  naming,  arranging,  and 
cataloguing ! " 

"  I'm  afraid  that  you  will  have  to  do  more  looking  on 
than  anything  else,"  said  Allie ;  "  you  never  can  get  any 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  213 

named  right,  and  you  never  spell  the  names  right  of  those 
you  try  to  catalogue.  You  made  seventeen  mistakes  once, 
in  half  a  page,  and  so  I  am  afraid  we  must  count  you 
out." 

"Yes,"  retorted  Freddie,  "I'll  look  on,  and  see  you 
pick  out  the  right  synonym ! " 

Allie  now  looked  sheepish,  as  he  remembered  the  mis- 
takes he  had  lately  made  over  these  synonyms,  but  he 
only  said : 

"Well,  Freddie,  we  won't  say  anything  more  about 
it,  and  you  may  help  all  you  can  when  the  time 
comes." 

All  the  boys  were  now  pretty  well  tired  and  hungry. 
Dinner  soon  came  to  their  relief,  and  the  captain,  haul- 
ing the  log,  reported,  "  forty-three  miles  since  starting  — 
pretty  good  for  an  old  fishing  vessel,  but  the  North  Star 
is  good  for  more  yet !  " 

"  Dinner,  gentlemens  !  "  cried  a  welcome  voice  from  out 
the  galley  door. 

"  It  is  really  surprising  !  "  said  Mr.  Taylor,  in  a  very 
sprightly  tone  of  voice,  as  he  rushed  with  the  others 
toward  the  galley ;  "  'tis  really  surprising  how  eagerly 
the  boys  crowd  about  the  galley  door,  —  I  wonder 
what  can  be  the  cause  ? "  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Taylor 
was  doing  his  share  of  the  crowding,  and  also  calling 
quite  lustily,  for  "some  of  that  chowder,  Max,  if  you 
please ! " 

"  Yes,  sir,  in  due  time,"  said  Max,  as  he  handed  Mr. 
Taylor  a  brimming  plate  of  the  same. 

"  I  think  that  /  will  try  some  of  the  chowder,"  said 
Mr.  Benton,  smiling  serenely,  as  he  made  his  way  through 
the  crowd  with  so  much  energy  that  it  suddenly  parted, 
to  the  imminent  peril  of  half  a  dozen  plates  of  the  hot 


214  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

liquid,  leaving  him  a  clear  passage  way  to  the  galley 
door,  "just  to  see  what  it  is  like  ! " 

"I'll  have  some  more,"  said  Allie,  smacking  his  lips, 
"  to  see  what  it  is  like ! " 

"  It's  a  comfort  to  see  my  soup  go  so  well ! "  ex- 
claimed Max,  as  he  dished  out  the  last  ladleful  into 
Mr.  Murphy's  plate,  while  Freddie  stood  looking  per- 
fectly aghast,  with  an  empty  plate  in  his  hand,  just  as 
he  was  about  asking  for  more.  "  How  lucky  it  is  that  I 
made  two  kettlesful,"  added  Max,  with  a  smile.  Fred- 
die's face  assumed  its  natural  position  once  more,  as  his 
plate  was  filled  from  the  hot  kettleful. 

At  length,  both  dinner  and  dessert  were  disposed  of, 
and  one  by  one  all  sought  the  cabin  again. 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  sighed  Allie,  "  nothing  to  do  now  until 
we  get  home,  how  tiresome  !  All  this  lovely  trip  to  end 
soon,  now ! " 

"Never  mind,  Allie,"  said  Freddie,  sympathizingly, 
"  we'll  go  again,  next  year,  and  have  a  better  time,  and 
collect  twice  as  much.  Let's  think  of  what  we  will  do 
when  we  get  home.  How  are  we  to  get  our  things 
through  the  Custom  House  ?  I  heard  Mr.  Jacobs  tell 
papa  that  he  was  afraid  that  we  would  have  to  pay  duty 
on  some  of  our  things." 

"Don't  be  afraid  of  that,"  spoke  up  Mr.  Furness, 
"  they  never  charge  duty  on  Natural  History  specimens." 

"But  my  sealskin,"  persisted  Freddie,  "that's  not  a 
Natural  History  specimen,  it's  real  fur." 

"  And  my  otter  and  martin  skins,"  said  Allie,  "  shall 
we  have  to  pay  duty  on  those  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Mr.  Furness,  "the  duty  is  off,  now,  on 
undressed  furs,  and  unless  those  skins  were  made  up 
into  articles  to  wear,  such  as  hats,  gloves,  and  such,  you 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  215 

will  not  be  obliged  to  pay  anything  on  them ;  and  besides, 
I  have  a  friend  in  the  Custom  House,  amongst  the  offi- 
cers, and  I  guess  he  will  help  us  ! " 

At  that  moment  the  captain  appeared  at  the  compan- 
ion-way door,  to  say  that  as  a  squall  was  approaching, 
somebody  had  better  "  make  all  close  in  the  cabin ;  it's 
only  a  small  one,  I  think,"  he  added. 

In  a  short  time  everything  was  made  secure,  and  on 
came  the  squall.  The  sailors  hurried  in  the  sails  and 
made  all  fast  above,  while  the  wind  began  to  whistle, 
and  the  rain  to  fall  in  torrents ;  but,  as  the  captain  had 
said,  it  did  not  last  long,  and  soon  the  black  cloud  was 
seen  far  astern  of  the  vessel,  and  the  sky  around  them 
became  clear  once  more.  The  crew  hoisted  the  sails, 
and  soon  the  vessel  was  again  under  full  canvas,  press- 
ing forward  on  her  homeward  course. 

On  the  third  morning,  after  calms  and  fair  winds, 
when  the  boys  came  on  deck  they  were  surprised  at 
seeing  all  the  men  on  the  ratlines  eagerly  surveying  the 
horizon  in  the  direction  in  which  the  ship  was  sailing. 
One  man,  who  was  standing  aloft,  was  pointing  with  his 
finger  in  the  same  direction  as  the  others  were  looking, 
and  trying  to  talk  to  one  of  his  companions  a  little  be- 
low him  on  the  shrouds ;  but  his  voice  could  barely  be 
distinguished  at  the  distance  at  which  he  was  stationed, 
so  that  the  boys  could  not  understand  a  word  that  he 
said. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  demanded  Allie  of  a  man  who  was  just 
on  the  point  of  ascending  the  shrouds. 

"  Old  Eeuben  says  that  he  sees  land  over  there,"  said 
the  man ;  "  we  must  be  pretty  near  Bird  Kocks  by  this 
time." 

Half  an  hour  later,  a  faint,  dim  shadow  clouded  the 


216  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

horizon  a  little  on  the  starboard  bow  of  the  vessel.  It 
looked  more  like  a  small  cap  of  smoky  cloud  than  any- 
thing else,  and  as  such  Allie,  who  happened  to  be  on 
deck  at  the  time,  took  it  to  be. 

"  Looking  at  the  land  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  men. 

"  Land !  "  said  Allie ;  "  where  is  there  any  land  ?  I 
thought  we  were  way  out  in  the  Gulf." 

"  Yes ;  so  you  are,"  replied  the  man,  "  but  that  is  Bird 
Rock  just  the  same." 

"  See  that  funny  cloud  over  there,"  said  Allie. 

"That's  land,"  again  replied  the  man.  "That's  the 
top  of  Bird  Kock,  and  if  it  was  in  the  night  we  would 
see  the  light  on  the  top." 

Allie  rushed  down  into  the  cabin  to  communicate  the 
agreeable  intelligence  that  Bird  Rock  was  in  sight,  and 
nearly  every  one  immediately  came  on  deck  to  see  the 
still  faint  shadow  of  its  summit  in  the  distance. 

"  How  soon  shall  we  reach  it  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Oh,  some  time  this  afternoon,"  said  the  captain,  who 
was  standing  near. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  when  the  vessel  came  near 
enough  to  the  rocks  to  see  them  clearly,  and  an  hour 
later  she  was  hove  to,  near  the  rocks,  while  a  boat  was 
lowered  so  that  all  who  wanted  to  could  visit  this  re- 
nowned place.  The  water  was  rough,  but  no  one  minded 
that;  and  so  many  wanted  to  go  that  the  captain  was 
obliged  to  use  his  authority,  and  say  that  they  must 
either  take  the  men's  places  at  the  oars  and  row  the  boat 
or  else  not  go.  Mr.  Furness  and  Mr.  Taylor  offered  to 
row,  and  so  all  could  go,  even  to  Mr.  Benton.  As  both 
Allie  and  Jack  Ready  had  guns,  they  were  seated,  one 
at  the  bow  and  the  other  at  the  stern,  and,  all  being  in 
readiness,  the  boat  left  the  vessel  and  headed  for  the  rock. 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  217 

Bird  Kocks  are  two  large  rocks,  situated  not  far  apart, 
and  in  the  center  of  this  portion  of  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence.  They  are  tall  and  precipitous,  flat  on  the 
top,  and  quite  formidable  looking.  The  sides  of  the  big 
rock  are  so  steep  that  the  people  who  live  in  the  solitary 
lighthouse  at  the  top  are  obliged  to  go  up  and  down  by 
means  of  a  sort  of  hoisting  machine  that  acts  over  the 
ledge. 

The  waves  broke  all  around  the  base  of  the  rock,  so 
that  there  was  scarcely  a  foot  of  landing  place,  and  peo- 
ple went  up  and  descended,  from  and  to  the  boats,  which 
usually  anchored  directly  under  this  ledge. 

The  face  of  the  rocks  was  everywhere  covered  with 
white  masses,  which  proved  to  be  the  guano  from  the 
innumerable  number  of  birds  that  covered  every  footing 
place  on  the  rocks,  and  flew  above  and  around  the  water 
in  perfect  clouds  in  all  directions. 

"Those  are  all,  or  nearly  all,  gannets,"  said  Mr. 
Ready,  "  and  for  this  reason  the  rocks  are  often  called 
the  Gannet  Kocks." 

All  the  while  the  boat  was  approaching  nearer  and 
nearer  the  island.  The  birds  flew  around  the  boat  in 
every  direction.  At  last  Allie  and  Jack  Eeady  began 
to  shoot,  and  in  a  very  short  time  secured  eleven  beauti- 
ful birds,  six  being  old  ones  of  a  beautiful  white  color, 
while  the  other  five  were  young  birds  and  brown.  As 
no  one  cared  to  make  the  experiment  of  ascending  to  the 
top  of  the  rock,  after  rowing  about  for  a  time  and  chas- 
ing one  or  two  birds  that  the  boys  had  wounded,  the 
boat  returned  to  the  vessel,  and  all  came  aboard  once 
more. 

"Well,  that  is  sport,"  exclaimed  Allie,  as  he  viewed 
with  pride  the  immense  birds  that  had  been  shot.  "  I'd 


218  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

like  to  stay  and  shoot  them  all  day ;  only  'twould  be  too 
bad  to  shoot  so  many  and  do  nothing  with  them  when 
we  had  got  them,"  he  added. 

"  We  have  nine  good  ones  to  stuff,"  said  John. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  we  could  clean  and  stuff  the  others  if 
we  wanted  to,"  said  Allie. 

The  best  of  the  birds  were  then  picked  out,  the  blood 
and  stains  scraped  from  their  feathers,  and  then  laid  care- 
fully aside  to  be  made  into  skins. 

This  process  occupied  the  next  day,  and  on  the  next, 
the  fifth  day  out,  land  was  sighted,  which  proved  to  be 
the  eastern  extremity  of  Cape  St.  George,  and  by  evening 
the  North  Star  had  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Strait  of 
Canso,  and  anchored  for  the  night. 

"  Come,  boys ;  let's  go  ashore,"  cried  the  captain, 
laughing  and  rubbing  his  hands,  so  happy  was  he  at  the 
idea  of  being  so  near  home. 

As  the  water  here  was  very  shallow,  and,  being  so  far 
within  the  bay  and  straits,  quite  calm,  the  boat  with  the 
boys,  the  captain  and  one  of  the  crew  glided  along  as 
calmly  as  if  in  the  securest  haven,  and  soon  reached  the 
shore.  The  beach  was  composed  of  sand  and  rocks, 
while  the  latter,  in  large  irregular  pieces,  extended  far 
into  the  sea.  After  landing,  and  securing  the  boat  to  a 
huge  rock  near  by,  the  party  moved  off  to  stroll  about 
for  an  hour  or  so  while  the  twilight  lingered. 

Back  a  little  from  the  beach,  the  grassy  bank  of  the 
sloping  terrace  descended,  though  low  fir  and  spruce  trees 
were  everywhere  intermingled.  The  captain  and  sailor 
took  one  of  the  many  cow-paths,  in  which  the  place 
abounded,  and  were  soon  lost  in  the  woods ;  they  re- 
ported afterward  following  the  path  to  a  farmhouse 
where  they  were  regaled  right  royally  with  fresh  milk, 


HOMEWARD   BOUND.  219 

and  a  supper  of  boiled  eggs  and  fried  bacon.  The  boys 
were  less  successful,  though  Allie  contended  that  a.  bat 
which  he  succeeded  in  shooting,  and  a  field  mouse  which 
his  brother  had  caught,  fully  made  up  to  him  anything 
that  he  might  have  lost  by  going  to  the  farmhouse ; 
while  he  made,  furthermore,  the  extraordinary  statement 
that  he  had  "  much  rather  find  a  rare  specimen  than  eat, 
any  day." 

In  the  evening,  after  supper,  the  boat  again  left  the 
side  of  the  vessel,  and  the  whole  party  went"  on  shore 
and  assembled  at  the  farmhouse  to  talk  over  and  hear 
the  news.  Few  of  the  farm  folks  had  any  news,  though 
an  old  gentleman  did  possess  a  copy  of  a  Halifax  paper, 
which  was  eagerly  read  by  the  assembled  company,  one 
acting  as  reader,  and  all  the  rest  listening.  When  they 
returned  to  the  vessel,  a  boat  load  of  the  farmer's  people 
went  with  them  and  visited  the  vessel.  Here,  in  pleas- 
ant conversation,  the  evening  passed  away,  and  night 
came.  By  half-past  nine  o'clock,  all  had  turned  in,  and 
the  lights  had  been  put  out. 

And  now  the  party  were  nearing  home.  The  first 
comer  on  deck  the  next  morning  found  the  North  Star 
already  nearly  half-way  through  the  Straits.  The  wind 
was  favorable,  though  there  was  not  much  of  it.  The 
tide  was  weak,  but  growing  stronger  —  that  too  was 
favorable. 

Soon  the  lighthouses  at  the  western  entrance  of  the 
Straits  began  to  appear,  and  slowly  to  draw  nearer,  while 
the  vessel  kept  steadily  on  its  course,  and  slowly  passed 
them  one  by  one,  till,  clear  of  them  all,  it  entered  the 
broad  Atlantic. 

"Well,  boys,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Murphy,  the  next  morn- 
ing, as  they  assembled  for  breakfast,  "we're  on  the 


220  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

homeward  stretch  at  last.  Four  days,  if  the  wind 
holds  good,  and  we  see  old  Boston  town  again ;  then 
for  a  good,  solid  beefsteak,"  he  added  quite  emphati- 
cally. 

"Humph,"  ejaculated  Freddie,  "I'd  rather  not  have 
mine  very  solid." 

"No,  you  sha'n't,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Keady,  who  was 
standing  near.  "  You  shall  all  of  you  have  the  best  din- 
ner that  the  best  place  in  Boston  can  afford,  and  I'll  pay 
the  bills." 

A  loud  shout  followed  this  declaration,  in  which  the 
men  passengers  joined  quite  as  lustily  as  the  boys, 
showed  the  approval  with  which  it  was  met,  and  then 
breakfast  was  announced. 

"Four  hundred  and  eighty  miles  more  to  go,"  said  Mr. 
Benton,  as  the  last  lighthouse  on  the  Nova  Scotia  %shore 
disappeared  in  the  dim  distance.  "  Four  days,  allowing 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  a  day,  in  which  to  get 
home.  Let  me  see,"  he  mused ;  "  we  started  on  a  Tues- 
day, and  to-day  is  Sunday.  If  we  have  good  luck  we 
will  reach  Boston  about  Thursday." 

"Then  we  can  get  home  the  same  day,"  exclaimed 
Freddie.  "  How  nice  that  will  be ! " 

"We  might  have  a  big  storm  and  go  to  the  bottom 
long  before  that,"  said  Jack  Ready. 

"  Yes,"  exclaimed  Allie,  somewhat  nettled,  "  if  we  do, 
as  the  sailors  say,  you  are  the  Jonah,  that  will  have 
caused  it  all,  we  will  throw  you  overboard  first." 

As  Master  Keady  had  nothing  more  to  say  after  that, 
he  wisely  held  his  tongue. 

So  on,  on  passed  the  pleasant  hours.  Sometimes  the 
weather  was  rainy  and  cloudy,  and  sometimes  it  was 
calm  and  hot ;  most  of  the  time,  however,  it  was  quite 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  221 

pleasant.  The  wind  often  blew  hard,  but  never  so  that 
the  sails  were  reefed  for  a  moment.  One  night  a  squall 
struck  the  vessel,  and  there  was  lively  work  in  the  cabin 
for  a  few  minutes,  but  it  did  not  last  long. 

The  third  day  out  the  captain  hauled  the  log  and 
computed  the  distance  as  three  hundred  and  ten  miles. 
This  would  leave  one  hundred  and  seventy  more  to  make. 
The  next  day  the  wind  blew  strong  and  steady,  and  at 
night  the  vessel  had  made  a  hundred  miles  more,  leaving 
now  about  seventy.  The  following  day  was  somewhat 
calmer  than  it  had  been  any  day  on  the  passage,  yet 
when  evening  came  every  one  strained  their  eyes  to  see 
who  should  discover  the  first  light  on  the  land  that  all 
knew  could  not  be  far  distant. 

As  usual  Allie's  bright  eyes  caught  a  glimpse  of  some- 
thing in  the  distance,  and  was  the  first  to  shout  "  Light 
ho ! "  But  no  one  else  could  see  it,  and  though  a  sailor 
went  high  into  the  rigging  and  remained  there  a  long 
time,  looking  intently  in  the  direction  pointed  out,  he 
came  down  and  said  that  he  could  see  nothing.  A  few 
moments  later  Allie  again  shouted  "  Light  ho ! "  but,  as 
before,  no  one  else  could  see  it,  and  Allie  was  laughed 
at  all  around;  yet  he  persisted.  The  man  at  the  wheel 
had  twice  shifted  the  wheel  a  little  to  allow  the  sails  to 
catch  more  fully  the  wind,  which  now  came  in  irregular 
gusts,  and  at  this  moment  he  shifted  it  a  third  time, 
when,  lo !  in  the  very  direction  pointed  by  Allie,  came 
the  clear,  sharp  white  light  of  a  lighthouse  into  full  view 
of  every  one.  The  universal  hooray  that  went  up,  as  a 
kind  of  triumphal  shout,  rang  through  the  ship,  and 
brought  everybody  on  deck  to  see  the  first  signs  of 
"  land."  That,  to  the  sailor,  loved  and  always  longed  for 
sight !  "  Land ! "  Land !  yes,  only  a  few  more  miles,  and 


222  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

land  and  home  once  more.  At  that  moment  a  voice 
started  up,  loud  and  clear : 

"  Home  again !  home  again, 
From  a  foreign  shore," 

and  all  joined  heartily  in  the  old  song,  until  the  ship  re- 
sounded with  the  homely  melody  from  "stem  to  stern." 

The  sail  up  the  harbor,  against  a  strong  ebb  tide,  into 
Boston,  occupied  nearly  all  the  next  morning,  and  it  was 
noon  before  they  made  fast  to  the  wharf. 

"  Just  in  time  for  dinner,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  who 
had  been  on  the  pier  talking  to  one  of  the  custom  house 
officers,  and  a  band  of  very  respectable  looking  gentle- 
men and  boys  issued  from  the  cabin,  where  an  hour 
before  had  been  a  crowd  of  dirty  and  torn-clothed 
sailor  tramps,  and  hurrying  on  solid  ground  r  once 
more,  started  off  on  the  dead  run  —  at  least  the  boys 
did  —  for  Parker's. 

An  hour  for  dinner,  an  hour  more  for  getting  baggage 
ready  to  go  home,  and  ordering  the  express,  and  hearty 
hand-shakings  and  good-byes,  and  each  took  his  way. 

Five  o'clock,  at  a  station  not  twenty  miles  from  Bos- 
ton, a  large  carriage  and  span  of  horses  were  awaiting 
outside  the  depot,  for  the  approaching  train.  An  elderly 
woman  and  a  bright-faced  young  girl  were  on  the  front 
seat  back  of  the  driver.  The  horses  pawed  the  ground 
as  the  train  approached  with  its  dull  roar,  shrill  whistle, 
and  cloud  of  steam  and  smoke  issuing  from  the  engine ; 
while  one  of  the  car  windows  was  open  and  filled  so  full 
of  four  faces  that  there  was  hardly  room  for  anything 
else  to  be  seen  in  it. 

"  There's  mother  and  Eva,"  sang  out  a  clear  voice  in 
one  direction,  at  the  same  time  a  ringing  shout;  and 


HOMEWARD  BOUND.  223 

"  there's  papa  and  the  boys,"  sounded  from  another,  and 
in  a  moment  they  were  clasped  in  each  other's  arms. 

"There,"  as  all  crowded  into  the  carriage,  and  the 
horses  sprang  forward  under  the  crack  of  the  driver's 
whip,  "  now  tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Eva. 

And  so  they  did. 


224  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

PART   II. 

CHAPTER   I. 

THE    SHIPWRECK. 

"  CONFOUND  this  fog !     One  can't  see  the  length  of 

v^  one's  hand  away,"  exclaimed  a  short,  thick-set, 
round,  burly  fellow,  all  bundled  up  in  thick  clothing, 
with  a  low,  wide-brimmed  felt  hat  on  his  head,  a  heavy 
pair  of  boots  on  his  feet,  and  a  pair  of  mittens  on  his 
hands,  to  a  tall,  lank  man,  with  sandy  side  whiskers,  a 
light  overcoat  with  the  collar  turned  up  about  his  neck, 
a  sailor's  old  rubber  hat  on  his  head,  and  a  similar  pair 
of  boots  and  mittens  on,  only  the  mittens  were  so  badly 
filled  with  holes  that  he  was  obliged  to  keep  continually 
pulling  them,  first  with  one  hand  then  with  the  other,  to 
cover  the  exposed  fingers. 

"  Confound  this  fog,  I  say  !  We'll  run  aground  in  this 
beastly  hole  before  we  know  it,  if  we  don't  look  out,  and 
then  there'll  be  tlie  mischief  to  pay ;  if  we  get  off  with 
our  lives  we'll  do  well." 

And  the  little  man  held  up  first  one  foot  then  another, 
as  he  shifted  his  body  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and 
clapped  his  hands  together  to  keep  up  the  circulation  in 
them. 

The  tall,  lank  man  with  sandy  side  whiskers  sidled  up 
to  the  short,  round,  fat  man,  and  leered  over  at  him  till 
his  hat  almost  put  his  eyes  out,  and  rolling  his  tongue  in 
the  side  of  his  cheek,  replied : 


THE   SHIPWRECK.  225 

"Oh,  yes!  Fog  —  ugh  —  cold!"  each  word  being  re- 
peated with  a  short  pause  after  it  and  before  the  next 
word. 

The  little,  round,  fat  man,  and  the  tall,  slim  man  then 
teetered  up  and  down,  first  on  one  foot,  then  on  the  other, 
much  like  a  pair  of  hens  when  surveying  some  fine  gar- 
den patch,  and  rubbed  their  hands  and  slapped  them 
against  their  sides,  as  they  swayed  to  and  fro  with  the 
pitchings  and  turnings  of  the  little  vessel  upon  the  angry 
waters. 

At  that  moment  a  head  and  face  bobbed  up  the  com- 
panion-way, and  almost  instantly  bobbed  down  again, 
while  a  small  boy's  voice  was  heard  to  exclaim  : 

"  Oh,  my !  it's  all  fog  so  you  can't  see  hardly  any- 
thing ! " 

There  must  have  been  quite  a  number  of  people  in  the 
cabin,  to  judge  from  the  sounds  of  laughter  which  fol- 
lowed the  above  announcement. 

"Well,  go  and  look  for  yourselves,  then,"  said  the 
voice  again,  "  if  you  don't  believe  me.  You  go  to  see." 

"  We  are  at  sea  already,"  exclaimed  a  voice  from  one 
corner  of  the  cabin;  "we  don't  care  for  any  more  of  it. 
The  question  now  is  how  to  get  out  of  it  and  not '  go  to 
sea.'" 

"  Well,  you  know  what  I  mean,"  again  exclaimed  the 
first  voice. 

"Yes,  you  mean  all  right,"  said  the  voice  from  the 
corner.  "  Now  sit  down  and  let  somebody  else  have  the 
floor." 

At  that  moment  the  vessel  gave  a  big  lurch,  and  all 
hands  went  down  in  a  heap  into  one  corner  of  the  cabin. 

"  There's  plenty  of  floor  now  for  all  who  want  it,"  ex- 
claimed another  voice  from  the  middle  of  the  heap. 


226  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  And  all  seem  to  want  it,"  said  a  fourth  voice,  as  the 
vessel  righted  itself  and  as  quickly  pitched  over  on  the 
other  side,  leaving  the  company  sprawling  over  each  other 
into  the  opposite  corner  at  the  other  end  of  the  cabin. 

A  hearty  laugh  followed  as  each  one  picked  himself 
up,  and  proceeded  to  regain  his  seat. 

At  this  moment  a  trumpet-like  voice  sounded  down  the 
companion-way,  causing  everybody  to  start. 

"  Look  out,  down  there  !  We  are  liable  to  be  wrecked 
at  any  moment !  " 

A  grand  rush  on  deck  followed  this  announcement,  and 
the  party,  consisting  of  three  men,  three  boys,  and  two 
ladies,  hurried  out  of  the  cabin  and  on  deck  in  a  tre- 
mendous flurry  of  excitement,  and  began  crowding  at 
once  up  to  the  captain. 

"  Now  keep  calm,  all,"  said  the  captain,  patting  the  air 
gently  with  his  hand.  "  All  keep  calm." 

"  Humph ! "  exclaimed  the  eldest  of  the  boys,  "  it  don't 
look  much  like  the  wrecks  we  read  about,  at  any  rate. 
Why,  the  sea  is  as  smooth  as  a  wash-basin,  except  for  a 
few  waves  now  and  then,"  continued  the  speaker. 

The  sea  was  indeed  remarkably  smooth,  only  tossing 
with  an  occasional  long  swell  which  pitched  the  vessel 
sideways  or  end  for  end,  as  she  happened  to  be  pitched 
toward  or  away  from  the  approaching  wave.  Nothing 
was  in  sight,  and  everything  enveloped  in  a  dense  fog 
which  surrounded  the  vessel  on  all  sides. 

"The  vessel  looks  more  like  a  big  giant  pulling  the 
sheet  over  him  in  bed  just  before  going  to  sleep,  than 
like  a  shipwreck,"  said  the  smallest  of  the  three  boys. 

"  I  guess  it  will  be  pulling  a  sheet  of  water  over  the 
vessel  in  the  bed  of  the  ocean,"  laughed  his  companion 
at  his  side,  "  if  she  should  happen  to  strike  a  rock." 


THE  SHIPWRECK.  227 

"You  see,"  continued  the  captain,  "that  we  have 
drifted  about  in  this  fog  so  long,  that  nobody  knows 
just  where  we  are.  We  might  as  well  speak  the  truth. 
These  long  swells  prove  that  we  must  be  somewhere  near 
land,  yet  we  can't  tell  anything  about  it.  If  we  strike 
land  or  a  rock  we  go  to  pieces  as  sure  as  fate.  So,  as  we 
are  liable  to  do  it  at  any  moment,  though  we  may  not  do 
so  at  all,  we  better  be  prepared  for  the  worst  at  once." 

"Very  true,"  said  a  large,  elderly  gentleman,  close  by. 

"  What  shall  we  do,  mother  ? "  exclaimed  the  younger 
of  the  two  women,  who  had  drawn  closely  to  each  other 
while  the  men  were  talking. 

"  Trust  in  God,  my  child,"  replied  the  elder.  "  Always 
trust  Him: 

" '  Fear  not,  but  trust  in  Providence, 
Wherever  thou  may'st  be  ! '" 

"  You  all  better  go  below  and  pack  up  your  bags,"  said 
the  captain.  "  Take  only  the  most  necessary  articles,  for 
if  we  go  to  pieces  we  can't  save  half  we  would  like, 
probably.  I'll  attend  to  the  boats." 

The  company  hastened  below  to  carry  out  the  captain's 
instructions,  while  the  captain  himself  hurried  aft  and 
soon  had  all  the  crew  on  deck  at  work  clearing  away  the 
boats  and  storing  them  with  provisions  and  a  barrel  of 
water  for  each,  together  with  sundry  coils  of  rope,  cook- 
ing utensils,  and  two  large  pieces  of  sail-cloth,  which 
they  had  drawn  from  the  hold. 

While  these  operations  were  going  on,  the  captain  and 
the  tall,  lank  individual  with  the  red  whiskers,  who 
proved  to  be  the  mate,  were  impatiently  walking  the 
deck,  and  intently  watching  the  water  or  gazing  into 
the  impenetrable  fog,  talking  to  each  other  occasionally, 


228  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

though  for  the  most  part  silently  watching  the  men  fill 
the  boats  as  they  had  been  instructed. 

"  I  say,  Captain,"  said  the  youngest  of  the  three  boys, 
coming  up  behind  the  mate  and  the  captain  as  they 
walked  the  deck ;  "  I  say,  Captain ;  what  makes  you 
think  we  are  in  danger  of  running  on  the  rocks  ?  " 

"  It  is  always  well  to  provide  for  the  worst,"  replied 
the  captain,  "  and  it  is  the  worst  which  I  strongly  fear," 
said  he. 

"  And  why  ?  "  persisted  the  young  boy. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  "  see  that  long,  low  wave  ?  " 
pointing  to  the  crest  as  it  advanced  toward  them  on  the 
left  of  the  ship. 

"Yes." 

"Well,  that  kind  of  a  wave  shows  that  we  are  very 
near  land.  It  comes  from  off  the  shore,  and  a  rocky 
shore,  as  it  is  not  in  one  long  line,  but  several  broken 
parts  of  the  same  line.  Then  see  the  same  kind  of  a 
wave  on  the  other  side  of  the  vessel  ?  Well,  we  must 
keep  on  as  we  are  going,  heading  right  on,  between  the 
two,  and  then  either  come  out  all  right  or  bring  up  sud- 
denly on  the  rocks  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  We  can't 
very  well  anchor  here,  as  it  is  too  deep  and  the  tide  is 
running  too  strong.  So  there  we  are ! " 

As  the  captain  said  this  the  vessel  gave  a  heavy  thud 
as  if  it  had  touched  bottom. 

"  There  we  are,  indeed,"  yelled  one  of  the  sailors,  who 
had  overheard  the  captain's  remark. 

All  hands  jumped  in  an  instant,  and  were  at  the  ves- 
sel's side  looking  over  and  around  them  on  all  sides,  as 
well  as  into  the  water,  striving  to  penetrate  the  fog,  — 
but  the  vessel  kept  on  as  steady  as  before. 

"  How's  that  ?  "  roared  the  captain.     "  Peters,  didn't 


THE   SHIPWRECK. 

you  sound  a  few  minutes  ago  and  report  'no  bottom'  at 
forty  fathoms  ?  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir ! "  exclaimed  Peters. 

"Well,  sound  again,  then,"  said  the  captain. 

Peters  sounded  again,  and  reported,  as  before : 

"  No  bottom  at  forty  fathoms,  sir." 

Forty  fathoms  was  the  end  of  the  sounding  line,  and 
the  captain  looked  over  to  the  mate  as  he  said : 

"  Extraordinary,  I  declare  !  " 

Then  he  turned,  after  ordering  a  sharp  lookout,  and, 
making  his  way  to  the  companion-way,  hurriedly  de- 
scended the  steps  to  the  cabin.  Then  he  went  to  his 
own  state-room,  drew  out  a  small  hand-bag,  stuffed  a  few 
clothes  and  other  necessities  into  it,  and,  grasping  a  chart 
in  the  other  hand,  rushed  out  again  into  the  main  cabin. 
Taking  off  his  watch,  he  laid  it  on  the  table,  as  he  put 
on  a  suit  of  oil  clothes,  when  a  voice  shouted  down  the 
hatch-way : 

"  All  hands  on  deck,  instantly  !   The  boats  !  the  boats  ! " 

Leaving  his  watch  on  the  table,  with  the  bag  in  one 
hand  and  the  chart  in  the  other,  the  captain  sprung  on 
deck.  Even  in  that  short  five  minutes  what  a  change  of 
scene !  Before  the  captain  had  reached  the  deck  the 
vessel  came  to  a  standstill  with  a  thud  that  threw 
everybody  off  their  feet,  while  the  prow  was  suddenly 
raised  high  into  the  air  between  two  low,  black  rocks 
with  sharp  ragged  edges,  which  seemed  to  close  on  it 
like  the  claw  of  some  immense  sea  monster ;  at  the  same 
time  the  stern  fell  so  low  as  to  be  partially  submerged 
in  the  water. 

By  this  time  the  men  had  launched  the  boats  into  the 
comparatively  calm  water,  and  were  tumbling  the  bags, 
etc.,  which  each  one  had  brought  on  deck,  into  them. 


230  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

A  few  moments  more  and  all  had  crowded  into  the  three 
boats  and  were  pulling  fast  into  the  fog,  leaving  the 
now  helpless  ship  in  the  claws  of  the  monster  rocks 
on  each  side  of  its  prow,  and  the  waves  to  wash  into 
the  fast  filling  cabin,  a  wreck,  on  an  unknown  shore. 

It  was  but  a  moment  more  before  the  cry  of  land 
ahead  was  made,  and  almost  immediately  the  boats  were 
dashed  through  the  surf,  with  their  own  velocity  and 
the  strength  of  the  waves,  to  a  beach  covered  every- 
where with  rocks  and  huge  bowlders,  and  at  the  foot  of 
an  embankment  about  three  feet  high,  on  the  top  of 
which  was  a  grassy  slope. 

With  great  difficulty,  while  the  waves  dashed,  and  the 
boats  threatened  every  moment  to  upset,  all  were  finally 
landed,  bag  and  baggage,  on  the  plat  above,  and  the 
boats  drawn  closely  up  to  the  bank,  beyond  reach  of  the 
waves,  and  their  painters  fastened  to  the  rocks,  while 
the  men  clambered  up  the  bank,  and  proceeded  to  wring 
the  water  from  their  wet  sleeves  and  legs. 

"  Thank  God  'tis  no  worse,"  exclaimed  the  captain,  a 
sentiment  in  which  all  seemed  to  concur. 

"I  guess  it  didn't  take  over  ten  minutes,"  said  the 
mate,  who  was  standing  near. 

The  captain  seemed  fumbling  away  at  his  coat  for  a 
minute,  then  exclaimed : 

"  By  gracious !  my  gold  watch  and  chain  and  pencil 
have  gone,  anyway." 

"  What  ?  "  breathlessly  asked  one  of  the  party. 

"  Yes,"  repeated  the  captain,  "  I  took  it  off  while  I  put 
on  my  oil  clothes,  intending  to  wind  it  and  put  it  back 
and  fasten  it  more  safely,  and  then  came  off  and  left  it 
on  the  cabin  table." 

At  this  moment  a  huge  wave  struck  the  beach  heavily, 


THE  SHIPWRECK.  231 

and  shot  its  spray  completely  over  the  little  group,  re- 
minding them  that  they  might  just  as  well  move  a  few 
rods  farther  away  from  the  edge  of  the  beach.  This 
they  quickly  did,  and  then  began  to  look  about  them  to  see 
what  was  next  to  be  done  to  render  their  situation  more 
comfortable,  and  to  see,  also,  what  sort  of  a  place  they 
had  landed  upon.  The  fog  still  enveloped  everything, 
so  that  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  do  anything,  so  all 
hands  turned  to,  cut  a  number  of  upright  poles,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  drive  them,  at  given  distances  apart,  into  the 
ground.  When  they  were  made  fast  and  firm  in  their 
places,  cross  poles  were  placed  from  one  to  the  other  and 
tied  down  firmly  with  coarse  twine,  found  in  one  of  the 
boat's  lockers  ;  then  one  of  the  large  pieces  of  canvas  was 
drawn  over  and  found  to  pretty  effectually  cover  all  but 
the  back  and  front  of  the  extemporized  tent. 

The  men  then  carefully  drew  the  boxes  into  this  tem- 
porary abode,  and  ranging  them  on  one  side,  covered 
them  over  with  the  other  piece  of  canvas,  thus  making  a 
capital  seat  for  the  ladies,  who  were  glad  to  avail  them- 
selves of  this  opportunity  to  escape  from  the  wet  and  sit 
down  in  comparatively  dry  and  comfortable  quarters. 

The  rest  of  the  goods  were  also  brought  in  and  safely 
stowed  away,  until  all  were  under  cover. 

After  some  repeated  attempts  and  failures  the  boys 
succeeded  in  building  a  large  fire,  just  outside  of  the 
tent,  in  spite  of  the  rain  or  rather  mist  from  the  fog, 
which  showered  down  upon  them,  and  soon  its  grateful 
warmth  was  appreciated  by  those  within  the  tent,  while 
having  none  of  the  ill  effects  of  the  smoke  and  smell  of 
the  burning  wet  wood. 

"There,  mother,  if  that  don't  warm  you  up  well,  I'll 
have  to  set  the  tent  on  fire,"  laughed  one  of  the  boys,  as 


232  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

he  rubbed  his  hands  and  danced  around  the  fire  with 
great  glee ;  "  I  guess  you'll  get  dried  now." 

"  I  think  I  shall,"  replied  his  mother,  from  out  of  the 
tent.  "  It  is  really  very  comfortable  here  now,  I  assure 
you.  I  wish  one  of  you  boys  would  bring  me  some 
water ;  I  think  your  sister  would  like  some,  too." 

One  of  the  boys  ran  straightway  to  the  boat  and  soon 
came  back  with  a  small  tin  cup  filled  to  the  brim,  and 
handed  it  to  his  mother. 

His  mother  took  the  cup  and  drank  a  few  swallows, 
then  handed  it  to  the  young  girl  by  her  side,  who  also 
drank  a  small  quantity  and  returned  the  cup. 

"  Now  where's  your  father,  Eva  ?  " 

"  Here  he  comes  with  the  captain,"  said  Eva. 

At  that  moment  they  entered  the  tent,  and  sat  down 
on  some  boxes,  just  opposite  the  ladies. 

"How  comfortable  you  are,  madam,"  said  the  little, 
round,  fat  man,  alternately  rubbing  his  hands  and  hold- 
ing them  out  toward  the  fire.  "  How  fortunate  we  are 
to  secure  so  good  a  shelter.  Boys !  boys  !  don't  let  the 
fire  go  out." 

"  No,  sir,"  they  replied,  from  the  outside.  "  We'll  col- 
lect a  pile  of  wood  just  outside  the  door  so  as  to  keep  the 
fire  going." 

And  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  they  all  began  to 
bring  armfuls  of  pieces  which  were  abundantly  strewed 
about  the  beach,  just  below  the  bank  on  which  they  sat. 
They  had  soon  raised  a  pile,  on  the  back  of  the  tent, 
which  reached  nearly  to  the  top,  and  extended  several 
feet  away  from  the  bottom. 

"  There !  there's  enough  to  last  till  to-morrow,  any- 
way," cried  one  of  the  boys ;  "  now  we  are  off  to  investi- 
gate the  country,"  and  away  they  started. 


THE  SHIPWRECK.  233 

"  Don't  go  far  away  or  be  gone  long,"  cried  out  their 
mother,  as  they  disappeared  around  the  corner  of  the 
tent. 

"  I  don't  believe  they  heard  what  you  said,"  exclaimed 
the  young  girl  whom  we  have  called  Eva. 

"  Risk  them  for  being  back  by  the  time  there  is  any- 
thing ready  to  eat ;  though,  as  for  that  matter,  I  do  hope 
that  the  men  will  find  out  something  about  where  we  are, 
before  long.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  it,  even  if 
we  were  on  an  island.  Yet,  somehow,  I  think  we  must  be 
on  the  mainland.  At  any  rate,  if  some  one  does  not  come 
and  report  soon,  I  shall  go  off  on  an  investigating  tour 
myself,"  said  the  captain,  rubbing  his  hands  and  smiling 
in  spite  of  his  rather  long  and  serious  looking  face. 

"And,  pray,  shall  we  not  both  go  out,  a  short  distance 
only,  for  the  fog  is  too  thick  to  allow  us  to  go  far,  and  see 
for  ourselves  what  there  is  to  be  seen  ?  "  asked  the  other 
gentleman. 

"Well,  yes,  we  might,"  replied  the  captain,  "but  as 
six  stout  men  have  been  out  and  around  for  over  half  an 
hour,  and  three  boys  have  just  gone,  and  it  would  be  very 
ungallant  to  leave  the  ladies  without  any  protection  in 
case  of,  say  a  black  bear  or  a  robber  suddenly  appearing," 
and  here  he  nodded  and  smiled  at  the  ladies ;  "  I  think  we 
ought  to  remain  here  yet  for  a  time  at  least,  and  attend 
to  their  wants,"  he  continued. 

"  Very  good ;  I  yield  to  your  opinion,"  replied  the  other 
gentleman,  "  and  doubtless  the  ladies  will  also  be  glad 
of  our  company." 

"  Do  stay  here  and  rest  yourself,  papa,"  cried  Eva,  "  I 
am  sure  that  it  will  do  you  good  to  keep  still  for  a  few 
minutes." 

All  were  obliged  to  laugh  at  this  urgent  request,  im- 


234  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

plying  as  it  did,  though,  of  course,  unintentionally,  the 
rather  restless  nature  of  her  father's  spirits. 

"  There,  Mistress  Eva,"  exclaimed  the  apparently  irri- 
tated parent,  "I  am  greatly  inclined  to  go  out  now  in 
very  spite." 

"  Then  I  do  not  think  /  shall  accompany  you,"  said  the 
captain,  laughing.  "  I  am  sure  that  madam's  company  is 
much  preferable  to  that  of  this  damp  fog,  at  present." 

"I  see  I  must  remain,  then,"  replied  the  parent.  "I 
cannot  allow  you  the  privilege  of  remaining  snugly 
behind  with  the  ladies  while  I  investigate  the  fog.  It 
would  never  do  in  the  world !  So  I  remain  in  spite  of 
myself." 

This  caused  a  hearty  laugh  all  around,  almost  immedi- 
ately interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  the  boys,  followed  by 
two  of  the  men,  who  came  to  report  that  a  small  hut, 
evidently  recently  inhabited,  had  been  discovered  not  half 
a  mile  distant,  and  though  poor,  and  rough,  was  evidently 
far  better  than  the  open  tent  which  they  then  occupied ; 
that  two  of  the  men  had  remained  behind  to  wash  and 
clean  it  up,  and  that  they  were  prepared  to  transport 
the  goods  there,  if  such  was  the  good  pleasure  of  the 
company. 

Of  course  such  was  the  good  pleasure  of  the  company, 
and  while  the  men  were  hunting  up  two  long  poles  and 
nailing  two  small  cross  pieces  to  them,  to  make  them 
serve  as  a  hand  truck  to  carry  the  baggage  on,  the  boys 
were  busy  loading  themselves  with  small  goods ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  truck  was  loaded,  the  men  led  the  way,  while 
all  followed. 

The  path  led  through  an  open  grass  patch  for  some 
rods,  then  began  to  ascend  among  rocks  and  huge  bowl- 
ders, till  they  had  climbed  quite  a  hill.  The  path  itself 


THE  SHIPWRECK.  235 

•was  smooth,  though  its  surroundings  were  so  rocky  and 
irregular.  Then  they  came  to  another  opening,  which 
led  directly  to  the  house.  It  was  a  rude,  low  cabin  of 
about  one  story  and  a  half  in  height,  and  with  two  rooms 
each  above  add  below. 

"  Well,  this  is  comfortable,"  exclaimed  Eva,  as  she  ran 
into  the  now  clean  and  nearly  dry  room,  which  had  evi- 
dently been  scrubbed  with  care,  and  the  door  and  win- 
dow left  open  to  air  it  out.  i'This  is  comfortable.  / 
greatly  like  being  shipwrecked,  if  we  are  to  find  such 
comfortable  quarters  as  these.  I  say,  mother,  sit  down. 
This  stove  looks  old,  and  somewhat  rusty,  but  I  will 
warrant  that  it  will  make  a  cheerful  fire  for  all  that." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Miss  Eva  proceeded  at 
once  to  open  the  stove  door,  and  prepare  to  make  a  fire. 
Her  brother  helped  her  by  going  out  and  gathering  an 
armful  of  small  pieces  of  wood,  and  then  putting  them 
in  the  stove  they  soon  had  a  fine  blaze  roaring  and  crack- 
ling as  it  ascended  the  chimney. 

The  captain  stood  by,  laughing  to  see  the  enthusiasm 
of  "the  young  castaways,"  as  he  called  them,  and  then 
began  to  prepare  a  seat  for  the  ladies. 

Meanwhile  the  men  came  and  returned,  bringing  bun- 
dles and  articles  from  the  tent,  and  finally  even  the 
tent  itself,  and  the  woodpile  which  the  boys  had  col- 
lected a  short  time  before. 

"  There  we  are,"  said  the  mate,  who  just  then  stepped 
up  to  the  door.  "  All  right  and  tight,  my  hearties  !  ready 
to  begin  over  again !  " 

"  The  fog  won't  let  us  see  anything  yet,"  said  the  mate, 
"  but  I  have  just  come  from  the  shore,  and  judging  from 
the  sound  of  things  there  won't  be  much  left  of  the  good 
old  Sea  Foam  by  to-morrow  morning ! " 


236  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  I  fear  not,"  said  the  captain.  "  It  don't  look  reason- 
able, at  any  rate." 

"  She  seems  to  be  pounding  away  as  if  she  were  on  the 
ways,  and  twenty  ship  carpenters  at  her,"  added  the 
mate. 

"  Yes,  and  how  much  of  her  do  you  think  we  can  save  ?  " 
asked  the  captain. 

"  None,  if  the  sea  rises  and  the  fog  continues,"  replied 
the  mate.  • 

"  Well,  we  will  hope  then  that  the  sea  will  not  rise, 
and  the  fog  will  not  continue,"  returned  the  captain. 

"Amen,"  said  a  voice  from  the  corner  of  the  room, 
where  the  ladies  were  assembled. 

At  that  moment  the  cook  appeared  and  proceeded  to 
arrange  the  cooking  utensils  on  a  shelf,  just  above  the 
stove,  and  to  make  a  pot  of  coffee. 

The  coffee  being  started  Max  drew  out  the  low,  long 
wooden  table  from  the  further  corner  of  the  room,  and 
soon  had  rubbed  and  washed  it  clean.  Then  he  brought 
out  a  large  tin  panful  of  ships'  biscuit  or  hardtack,  and  put 
it  on  the  centre  of  the  table ;  the  plates  were  laid,  and 
the  cups  produced,  and  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  all 
was  ready  for  eight  hungry,  shipwrecked  persons,  who 
were  not  slow  in  doing  full  justice  to  the  repast. 

While  they  are  eating,  a  few  words  of  explanation  are 
due  to  the  reader. 


AN  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  237 


CHAPTER  II. 

AN    UNKNOWN    COUNTRY. 

rTlHOSE  who  have  read  the  first  part  of  this  story  will 
-L  not  fail  to  recognize  their  old  acquaintances  Mr. 
Benton,  and  the  three  boys  —  John,  Freddie,  and  Allie. 
The  two  gentlemen  are  no  other  than  Mr.  Taylor,  who 
accompanied  the  boys  and  their  father,  and  now  acted 
in  the  capacity  of  tutor  and  instructor ;  and  a  friend  of 
his,  Mr.  Bemis.  The  captain  is  Mr.  Eeady,  the  cook  Max, 
and  the  three  other  seamen,  called  Peters,  Stebbins,  and 
Barney,  with  Mr.  Cooper,  the  mate ;  these  comprised  the 
whole  of  the  party. 

It  is  just  a  year  since  Mr.  Benton  and  his  three  boys, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Taylor,  then  a  stranger,  taking  the 
trip  for  his  health,  had  joined  an  excursion,  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  Ready,  to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  then  an 
almost  unknown  region,  but  one  which  was  fast  becoming 
known  to  the  public,  both  as  a  fishing-station  and  as  a 
good  place  for  pleasure  parties  to  spend  the  summer  in 
fishing,  hunting,  and  having  a  good  time  generally. 

Mr.  Benton  had  been  so  delighted  with  the  trip,  and 
with  the  prospects  which,  as  a  shrewd  business  man,  he 
had  foreseen  for  a  traffic-trade  with  the  people,  that  he 
had  this  year  chartered  a  vessel,  at  his  own  expense,  fit- 
ted it  out  with  provisions,  dry  goods,  and  other  articles 
useful  to  the  inhabitants  and  their  business,  the  "fish- 
ery," taken  his  wife  and  daughter  Eva,  Mr.  Taylor,  for 


238  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

whom  he  had  contracted  a  strong  friendship,  as  tutor  and 
companion  for  the  boys,  Mr.  Bemis,  who  had  assisted 
him  in  fitting  out  his  vessel,  as  supercargo ;  and  then  in- 
duced Mr.  Ready  to  serve  as  captain  and  pilot.  Max  had 
been  hired  again  as  cook,  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew 
belonged  to  the  vessel  itself.  Though  we  have  said  that 
Mr.  Ready  was  captain,  the  mate,  Mr.  Cooper,  was  the 
real  captain  of  the  vessel,  though  he  allowed  Mr.  Ready, 
whom  he  well  knew,  to  act  in  that  place  while  he  acted 
as  his  mate,  and  Mr.  Barney,  the  real  mate,  acted  as  a 
common  seaman  with  the  others.  This  plan  had  been 
agreed  upon  and  was  now  in  force. 

The  Sea  Foam,  a  staunch  schooner  of  about  two  hun- 
dred tons,  was  a  Canadian  vessel,  carrying  the  English 
flag.  Having  fitted  out  in  Boston,  the  party  had  started 
for  Labrador  in  fine  weather,  high  spirits,  and  with  good 
prospects  for  a  fine  trade  with  the  fishermen  along  the 
coast.  Mr.  Benton  intended  to  return  again  in  the  fall ; 
some  time  during  the  last  of  October  or  first  of  Novem- 
ber, if  possible. 

The  party  had  been  out  eleven  days  when  they  became 
enveioped  in  the  fog ;  after  beating  about  for  two  days, 
the  vessel  had  suddenly  been  wrecked,  as  described,  on 
a  treacherous  bed  of  rocks,  with  deep  water  all  around 
them,  only  a  few  rods  from  the  shore.  It  was  "  lucky 
it  had  been  in  the  day  time,"  as  the  captain  had  well 
said. 


It  was  now  fast  growing  dark,  and  as  yet  there  were 
no  accommodations  prepared  for  the  ladies  for  the  night. 
There  had  been  nothing  saved  from  the  ship,  in  the  shape 
either  of  beds  or  bedding ;  and  the  probability  was  that, 


AN   UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  239 

by  this  time,  everything  had  become  drenched  if  not 
actually  flooded  in  the  cabin,  though  it  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  prow  projected  far  above  the  rocks,  and 
consequently  out  of  reach  of  the  water.  It  was  thus 
probable  that,  if  she  had  not  already  gone  to  pieces,  the 
men  could  rescue  the  bedding  of  the  forecastle  bunks. 
As  the  vessel  had  been  entirely  refitted  before  leaving 
port,  and  a  plentiful  amount  of  insect  powder  scattered 
everywhere,  besides  the  abundant  scrubbing  which  every 
part  of  the  vessel  had  undergone,  the  chances  were  that 
this  bedding  would  serve  as  a  bottom,  with  some  extra 
covering,  for  the  ladies'  bed,  provided  it  could  be  ob- 
tained. To  secure  it,  then,  the  mate  and  two  of  the  sea- 
men, taking  one  of  the  boats,  started  for  the  vessel. 

The  good  old  Sea  Foam  could  be  just  seen,  in  the  dis- 
tance, as  a  mere  dark  object  in  the  bank  of  surrounding 
fog. 

"  The  fog  seems  to  enclose  it,"  Freddie  said,  "  just  as  a 
jelly-fish  does  a  smaller  fish,"  and  the  resemblance  was 
very  strong. 

The  boys  stood  on  the  bank  and  watched  the  men 
launch  the  boat  and  get  into  her,  while  the  mate  began 
to  bail  her  out. 

Two  strong  men  at  the  oars  soon  carried  both  boat 
and  men  into  the  fog,  in  the  direction  of  the  "food 
for  the  jelly-fishes,"  as  the  boys  called  the  dark  form 
of  the  schooner,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  entirely 
lost  to  view. 

After  trying  in  vain,  for  some  minutes,  to  pierce  the 
darkness,  the  boys  turned  and  began  building  a  fire  out 
of  the  brands  of  the  old  one  .made  in  the  morning,  to 
serve  as  a  beacon  for  the  men  when  they  should  return, 
and  thus  doing,  and  gathering  stick's  for  the  same,  they 


240  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

occupied  themselves  until  the  boat  arrived  from  the 
wreck 

The  men,  after  leaving  the  shore,  pulled  swiftly  and 
steadily  for  the  vessel. 

It  took  but  a  few  minutes  to  reach  her,  and  then,  in  a 
moment  more,  all  had  clambered  up  over  the  side  of  the 
abandoned  schooner.  She  was  situated  much  the  same 
as  she  had  lain,  after  striking  the  rocks,  except  that  the 
prow  had  become  lifted  somewhat  farther  on  the  rock, 
thus  lowering  the  stern,  which  was  already  several  feet 
under  water. 

The  men  found  no  difficulty  in  entering  the  forecastle, 
and  though  everything  was  pitched  forward  against  the 
partition  which  separated  the  forecastle  from  the  hold, 
they  quickly  secured  all  the  bedding.  It*  had  not  been 
touched  by  the  water,  nor  greatly  injured  by  the  damp- 
ness of  the  fog,  as  the  hatches  had  been  closed.  They 
soon  had  it  tied  into  bundles  and  packed  into  the  boat. 
A  partially  empty  barrel  of  flour,  and  a  small  barrel  of 
corned-beef,  and  another  of  pork  were  lowered  in  also, 
and  a  hasty  survey  soon  showed  that  nearly  or  quite  all 
of  the  ship's  provisions  could  be  saved  the  next  day, 
provided  the  vessel  did  not  go  to  pieces  in  the  night, 
and  the  water  still  continued  calm. 

The  men  rowed  carefully  back  to  the  shore,  where 
the  fire,  which  the  boys  had  built,  served  to  excellent  ad- 
vantage. 

After  thoroughly  warming  themselves,  the  men  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  the  provisions,  by  means  of  a  hand  truck, 
up  to  the  house,  while  the  boys  followed,  loaded  down 
with  the  bedding.  The  latter  was  soon  spread  out 
around  the  room  near  the  stove,  that  it  might  thoroughly 
dry,  and  a  large  fire  was  kept  up  for  several  hours,  at  the 


AN   UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  241 

end  of  which  time  all  traces  of  moisture  had  seemed  to 
have  disappeared. 

There  was  no  time  to  improvise  a  bedstead,  even  of  the 
roughest  kind,  and  as  the  wood  itself  was  wet,  the  rain 
having  begun  to  fall,  Eva  and  Allie  moved  two  of  the 
beds  into  the  smaller  room  and  soon  made  them  up,  one 
for  her  father  and  one  for  her  mother.  She  was  obliged 
to  make  all  the  beds  single,  as  the  naattresses  had  been 
obtained  from  the  sailors'  bunks,  and  were  of  a  small 
size,  suitable  only  for  one  person.  Then  she  made  up  a 
bed  in  the  opposite  corner  of  the  room  for  herself. 

Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Bemis,  with  the  captain  and  the 
boys,  made  up  their  beds  out  of  the  four  remaining  mat- 
tresses, laying  two  together  for  the  three  men  to  use 
crossways,  and  two  for  the  boys.  The  sailors  climbed  the 
stairway  to  the  loft,  where  they  had  soon  spread  the 
large  sail-cloth  tent,  now  quite  dry,  and  proceeded  to 
make  themselves  comfortable  for  the  night. 

Luckily  the  weather  was  not  cold,  so  but  little  clothing 
was  really  needed.  Before  retiring,  however,  Mr.  Benton 
summoned  all  hands  into  the  dining-room,  and,  when  all 
were  seated,  he  opened  a  Bible  which  he  had  brought 
with  him,  and  read  an  appropriate  passage,  after  which 
he  uttered  a  fervent  prayer  of  thanks  for  the  safe  deliv- 
erance from  the  great  danger  that  had  threatened  them, 
and  for  aid  to  guide  them  in  the  future,  which  no  one 
knew  or  could  foresee.  Then  all  retired  for  the  night. 

The  ladies  and  the  men  fell  asleep  almost  at  once, 
but  with  the  boys  it  was  far  different.  The  novelty  of 
the  situation,  the  excitement  of  the  day,  and  the  reality 
of  the  catastrophe  that  had  occurred,  kept  them  awake 
for  a  long  while  after  the  others  had  gone  to  sleep.  Oc- 
casionally they  would  converse  with  each  other  in  the 


242  IVRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

lowest  whispers,  and  all  consented  that  it  was  "  perfectly 
splendid."  Freddie  even  went  so  far  as  to  hope  that  they 
would  be  obliged  to  stay  there  "till  winter,"  and  Allie 
didn't  care  if  they  stayed  all  winter.  At  length  John 
declared  that  he  was  going  to  sleep,  and  a  minute  later 
he  was  fast  in  the  land  of  dreams,  and,  alas,  really  snor- 
ing. After  several  unsuccessful  punches  in  the  ribs,  John 
stopped  his  snoring,  probably  for  a  few  moments  only, 
and  the  other  boys  in  their  turn  fell  asleep. 

It  was  quite  late  the  next  morning,  and  the  sun  was 
streaming  in  at  the  windows,  when  Allie,  the  first  to 
awake,  raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  rubbed  his  eyes  hard 
with  his  fists,  and  then,  after  opening  and  shutting  them 
several  times,  to  be  sure  that  he  was  awake,  sprang  up, 
waked  the  other  boys,  and  hurried  out  of  the  door.  The 
noise  aroused  the  rest  of  the  down-stairs  sleepers,  and  a 
quick  call  from  the  captain  started  the  men  in  the  loft, 
and  the  noise  thus  becoming  general,  soon  aroused  the 
ladies  and  Mr.  Benton ;  so  that  in  five  minutes  everybody 
was  awake. 

Just  at  that  moment  a  loud  exclamation  from  Allie 
brought  every  one  to  their  feet,  and  to  the  door. 

What  a  sight  lay  before  them !  No  wonder  that  Allie 
gave  an  exclamation !  Neither  pen  nor  pencil  could  do 
justice  to  the  scene  that  lay  spread  before  the  astonished 
beholders. 

The  fog  had  entirely  disappeared,  leaving  the  land- 
scape perfectly  clear  and  well-defined  against  an  almost 
cloudless  sky;  the  vegetation,  alternating  everywhere 
with  sand,  rocks,  craggy  cliffs,  and  a  few  dwarfed  trees, 
had  been  turned  by  the  rain  into  a  heavy,  dark  green, 
and  was  loaded  with  morning  mists ;  while  the  sea  ex- 
tended everywhere  in  front,  with  islets  dotting  the  water 


AN   UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  243 

here  and  there.  A  deep  bay,  surrounded  by  cliffs  and 
rocks,  reached  far  inland  just  below  them ;  and  irregular 
patches  of  green  foliage,  scattered  here  and  there  among 
rocky  hills,  extended  far  upward  back  of  them.  The  air 
was  still,  and  the  water  unruffled.  Thousands  of  gulls 
flew  above  and  around  in  all  directions,  or  poising  upon 
the  water  itself,  buoyed  up  by  their  downy  feathers,  swam 
about,  dived  for  food,  or  remained  stationary.  Birds  of 
many  kinds  appeared  on  the  water  a  little  way  from  the 
shore,  and  large  flocks  of  plover  on  the  beach  itself.  Here 
and  there  a  huge  seal  would  rear  its  head  for  a  moment 
only.  But  what  interested  the  men  the  most,  was,  just 
below  them,  at  the  left,  two  huge,  pointed  rocks,  rearing 
aloft  their  terrible  peaks,  between  which,  fast  as  if  in  a 
vise,  was  the  prow  of  the  once  gallant,  now  disabled  Sea 
Foam.  No  other  rocks  were  near  them,  dark  water  all 
around  them,  and  just  off  shore.  The  vessel  would  have 
been  safe  had  it  veered  a  rod  either  to  the  right  or  left 
of  where  it  struck.1 

"  Well,  boys,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  interrupting  the 
silence ;  "  a  beautiful  situation  indeed !  Garden  of  the 
Gods  !  And  not  a  house  in  sight." 

Mr.  Taylor  shrugged  his  shoulders  slightly,  and  laughed, 
saying  in  an  undertone,  apparently  to  himself : 

"  Yes  !  '  a  beautiful  situation,  and  not  a  house  in  sight ! ' 
Are  you  not  slightly  sarcastic,  Mr.  Benton  ?  " 

"Not  at  all,  sir,"  replied  that  gentleman.  "All  the 
summer  and  plenty  of  food  before  us,  and  a  good  emi- 
nence over  yonder,"  pointing  as  he  spoke  to  the  height 
above,  "  from  which  to  hang  our  signal.  Surely  we  are 

1  In  this  exact  situation  a  vessel  was  recently  wrecked  on  the 
Labrador  coast,  to  the  writer's  knowledge,  from  personal  observa- 
tion. 


244  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

not  out  of  the  path  of  all  vessels  for  the  next  six  months. 
I  therefore  repeat  it,  sir !  A  beautiful  situation,  and  not 
a  house  in  sight.  How  could  we  better  choose  a  summer 
at  the  seashore,  and  rough  it  for  a  few  mouths  ? " 

The  reply  seemed  so  unanswerable,  that  Mr.  Taylor 
could  not  help  replying  : 

"  Well,  sir ;  I  am  sure  I  do  not  care,  if  you  do  not ! " 

This  sentiment  was  freety  echoed  by  all  the  men  and 
boys,  and  even  Mrs.  Benton  and  Eva  joined  in  the  gen- 
eral expression  of  willingness  to  abide  here  for  the  pres- 
ent. 

"  Well,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  "  as  we  came  with  an 
eye  to  business,  who  knows  but  that  Providence  has 
guided  us  here  expressly  for  that  purpose  ?  We  will 
spend  a  few  days  in  investigating  the  country,  and,  every- 
thing permitting,  we  will  set  up  our  own  fishery,  do  our 
own  fishing,  trade  with  ourselves,  and  trust  in  Providence 
to  get  home  again.  If  no  vessel  comes  for  us  we  will  build 
another,  out  of  the  remains  of  the  Sea  Foam,  and  go 
home  in  her.  Let  me  see,"  he  continued,  "  the  Sea  Foam 
was  of  two  hundred  tons,  and  my  friend,  Mr.  Constance, 
came  to  this  same  coast  in  a  seventeen  ton  vessel,  so  I 
guess  we  can  get  back  safely  before  winter." 

Though  in  many  things  Mr.  Benton  was  very  eccentric, 
he  was,  nevertheless,  a  shrewd  business  man ;  calm  and 
cool  on  all  occasions,  always  ready  to  make  the  most  of 
his  opportunities,  and  generally  successful.  When  he 
laid  down  the  law,  everybody  took  the  cue  at  once,  and 
never  attempted  to  question  or  to  dispute  him. 

On  the  present  occasion  Mr.  Benton  laid  down  the  law, 
and  everybody,  even  Mr.  Ready,  the  captain,  at  first  stood 
aghast,  then  nodded  assent ;  then  followed  Allie,  enthu- 
siastically and  instantaneously,  as  he  swung  his  hand 


AN  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  245 

around- his  head  and  shouted  out  a  rousing,  "  Three  cheers 
for  ourselves  !  Hip,  hip,  hurray  ! "  And  loud  it  rang 
over  the  hills  and  dales  of  old  Labrador,  rebounding  in 
faint  echo  from  the  distant  cliffs  to  go  in  lesser  and 
lesser  waves  over  the  ocean  far  out  to  sea. 

Mr.  Benton  gazed  affectionately  at  Allie,  for  a  moment 
only,  then  turned,  gave  a  few  words  of  instruction  to  the 
men,  and  saying  cheerfully,  "  Come,  let's  get  something 
to  eat,"  turned  into  the  house  and  was  hardly  known  to 
speak  three  words  for  the  next  as  many  weeks. 

Max  was  quickly  at  work  making  the  coffee  boil,  and 
soon  coffee  and  hardtack,  with  some  fresh  biscuits,  from 
a  small  package  of  self-raising  flour,  found  in  the  flour- 
barrel,  where  Max  had  himself  put  it  only  a  few  hours 
before  the  shipwreck,  presented  a  very  appetizing  repast 
to  the  almost  famished  company. 

"  I  declare,"  exclaimed  Freddie,  "  'tis  too  bad  that  we 
haven't  got  some  butter." 

At  that  moment  Max  entered  with  a  plateful  of  the 
very  article,  which  he  had  just  taken  from  a  tub  of  the 
same  which  had  been  brought  over  in  the  boat  the  day 
before. 

"  You  wait,"  said  Max  to  Master  Fred ;  "  give  me  time 
to  try  this  stove,  and  we  will  see  what  shipwrecked  mar- 
iners can  do." 

"  Up  to  your  old  tricks  of  threatenings  again,  Max  ?  " 
laughed  Allie. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  exclaimed  Max.  "  I'll  threaten  some  dough 
with  a  pan  of  hot  lard ;  that's  the  kind  of  threatenings 
that  I'll  do." 

"  Oh,  Max,"  screamed  Eva,  "  dough  nut  do  it !  " 

"  Oh,  my  ! "  groaned  Allie ;  "  Oh,  oh,  Eva !  help  !  mur- 
der !  fire  !  Max  !  " 


WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Can't  I  have  another  biscuit  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes ;  two  if  you  wants  it." 

The  biscuit  were  produced,  Eva  taking  one  of  them, 
and  harmony  was  soon  restored. 

"  Now,  Eva,"  said  Fred,  "  don't  do  that  again  or  I  shall 
never  get  through  eating." 

Eva  promised,  and  soon,  all  having  finished,  the  room 
was  resigned  to  Max  till  dinner  time. 

The  men  having  eaten  their  breakfast  from  a  wooden 
bench,  just  outside  the  door,  had  already  gone  off  to  look 
after  the  wreck,  and  so  the  family  were  left  alone  and 
together  to  form  plans  and  see  what  was  next  to  be  done. 

The  hut  occupied  by  the  family  was  in  tolerably  good 
repair,  and  had  probably  been  recently  occupied  by  some 
fisherman  and  his  family.  It  was  situated  on  a  small 
patch  of  grass  land,  about  fifty  feet  from  the  surrounding 
water  of  the  bay.  The  same  slope  continued  to  the 
crest  of  the  ridge  some  hundreds  of  feet  above. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  slope,  toward  the  bay,  a  small, 
broken  down  stage  extended  several  yards  into  the  water, 
and  a  small  shed  gave  probable  evidence  that  fish  were 
to  be  caught  not  far  from  the  vicinity,  out  in  the  sea 
beyond. 

John  was  soon  to  be  seen,  far  upon  the  ridge  above  the 
house,  waving  his  hat  impatiently,  apparently  to  the  rest 
of  the  boys,  to  come  and  join  him. 

Fred  and  Allie,  with  Mr.  Taylor,  Mr.  Eeady,  and  Mr. 
Bemis,  were  soon  clambering  the  height,  in  desperation, 
to  see  who  would  reach  the  summit  first.  Strange  to  say, 
the  short,  fat,  jolly  Mr.  Ready  was  the  first  to  reach  the 
height,  though  he  did  it  some  distance  away  from  the 
rest  by  an  oblique  path  which  reached  a  spur  of  the  hill 


AN  UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  247 

somewhat  lower  than  the  rest ;  yet  all  were  soon  stand- 
ing together  and  admiring  the  scenery  before  them. 

"Well,  boys,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  rather  sarcasti- 
cally, " '  a  beautiful  situation,  and  not  a  house  in  sight.' " 

"  All  points  and  islands  and  bay,"  cried  Freddie,  in  en- 
thusiasm. 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "'all  points  and  islands  and 
bay,'  on  three  sides  of  us.  What  is  inland,  I  wonder  ?  " 

"Bears,  I  suppose,"  exclaimed  Allie. 

"  Rocks,  I  guess,"  said  Freddie. 

"  Trees  and  thick  bushes,"  put  in  John. 

"  A  goodly  mixture  of  all,  /  guess,"  said  Mr.  Taylor, 
as  they  turned  to  descend. 

The  path  leading  to  the  top  of  the  hill  was  small  and 
narrow,  winding  through  low  shrubs  and  stunted  spruce 
and  fir  trees,  and  over  thick,  gray  moss  which  allowed  one 
to  sink,  at  nearly  every  step,  from  eight  inches  to  a  foot 
deep ;  sometimes  it  led  over  rocks  or  along  the  foot  of 
some  huge  bowlder,  and  in  one  place  through  a  large  patch 
of  dark  mud,  evidently  once  a  pool  of  water,  but  which 
had  since  dried  up.  Freddie  soon  found  that  the  shrubs 
and  stunted  spruce  and  fir,  though  hardly  waist  high, 
were  so  twined  and  interlaced  that  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  walk  among  them,  as  he  had  been  trying,  so 
he  gave  it  up  and  returned  to  the  path  again.  Then  he 
tried  the  moss,  with  not  much  better  result.  It  looked 
safe  enough,  but  a  single  step  upon  it  and  he  sank  down 
nearly  to  his  knees  in  it,  yet  it  was  so  elastic  that  it  re- 
turned to  its  natural  position  once  more,  and  looked  the 
same  untreacherous  carpet  of  gray  moss  as  before.  Then 
the  black  mud  of  the  dried  up  pool  seemed  hard  and  dry, 
that  surely  was  safe  to  walk  upon ;  but  into  that,  at  the 
first  step,  he  sank  nearly  six  inches,  and  had  it  not  been 


248  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

for  a  large  clump  of  grass  he  would  have  been  unable  to 
cross  at  all. 

"  I  don't  like  this  kind  of  walking  one  single  bit,"  ex- 
claimed Freddie. 

"  Nor  nobody  else,"  replied  Mr.  Ready,  "  though  I  guess 
we  will  have  to  take  it  as  it  comes.  It's  like  all  the  rest 
of  the  walking  about  here." 

This  was  dismal  intelligence  to  the  boys,  who  had 
looked  forward  to  long  tramps  and  grand  inland  excur- 
sions. 

"  I  don't  care  if  it  is  all  like  this,"  exclaimed  Allie, 
"  provided  there  is  a  path  like  this." 

"  There  isn't  always  a  path  like  this,  unfortunately," 
said  Mr.  Ready. 

"I'm  not  going  to  borrow  trouble,"  replied  Freddie, 
"  there'll  be  enough  of  it  come  without  our  hunting  it  up 
or  calling  it." 

"  Oh,  oh  !  "  cried  Allie,  "look !  " 

And  he  immediately  plunged  into  the  midst  of  the 
bushes,  and  proceeded  to  wade  rather  than  walk  in  the 
tangled  mass  to  a  cleared  space,  a  few  yards  beyond, 
where  he  gathered  a  large  handful  of  curious  looking 
weeds. 

"  Well,  what  are  they  ?  "  asked  John. 

"  Pitcher  plants,"  replied  Allie.  "  Look  at  the  pitcher- 
like  leaves  ! "  and  he  held  up  a  tubed  leaf,  about  six 
inches  long,  hollowed  and  curved  gracefully. 

"I  did  not  know  that  they  grew  so  far  north,"  said 
Mr.  Bemis,  stopping  to  look  at  the  strange  leaf  and 
curious  flower. 

"Oh,  yes,"  answered  Mr.  Taylor,  who  was  standing 
near,  "  I  have  seen  patches  of  them  large  as  a  quarter  of 
an  acre,  almost." 


AN   UNKNOWN  COUNTRY.  249 

"  But  I  didn't  know  that  they  grew  up  here,"  continued 
Allie.  "I'll  take  these  home  to  Eva  and  mother." 

Continuing  the  descent,  Freddie  frightened  a  small 
sparrow  from  its  nest,  but  he  did  not  touch  the  eggs,  of 
which  there  were  four.  Allie  also  came  across  another 
curious  flower,  which  he  found  on  a  side  bank  of  a  little 
pool  of  water.  It  was  very  small,  and  the  leaves,  grow- 
ing in  a  cluster  about  a  small  upright  stalk,  looked  like 
little  paddles,  clothed  with  a  reddish  sticky  substance, 
and  each  leaf  was  fringed  with  a  row  of  small  bristle- 
like  points  growing  from  its  outer  edge ;  altogether  the 
plant  was  hardly  three  inches  high,  and  the  leaves  an 
inch  in  length. 

"  Don't  you  know  what  that  is,  boys  ?  "  said  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, taking  one  up  and  looking  at  it  carefully. 

"  It  looks  like  that  queer  Southern  fly-catching  plant 
that  Uncle  George  brought  to  mother  last  winter,"  said 
Allie. 

"This  is  the  sun  dew ;  there  are  two  species,  and  doubt- 
less both  are  to  be  found  here,"  said  Mr.  Taylor ;  "  look 
out  for  another  kind,  and  see  if  you  can  distinguish  the 
difference." 

With  these  treasures  the  boys  soon  reached  the  house. 

Eva  was  delighted  with  her  presents,  and  immediately 
began  to  clear  a  small  patch  of  damp  ground,  back  of  the 
house,  for  a  "flower-garden,"  as  she  called  it.  A  fine  stream 
of  water  flowed  through  the  patch,  and  there  was  a  little 
dryer  bank,  though  of  the  same  dark  earth,  somewhat 
grassed  over,  above  it.  Here  Eva  planted  her  sun  dew 
on  one  side  the  stream,  and  the  pitcher  plant  on  the  other. 
Allie  had  saved  the  roots  of  both  plants,  so  that  in  a 
few  days  they  were  growing  as  well  as  if  they  had  never 
been  plucked  and  transplanted  from  their  native  beds. 


250 


WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


"There,"  exclaimed  Eva,  when  she  had  finished  her 
task.  "  Now  you  may  bring  me  as  many  different  kinds 
of  flowers  as  you  like,  and  I'll  plant  them  all  here,  and 
have  a  garden." 

Just  then  Eva  heard  her  mother  calling  her,  so  she  ran 
to  see  what  was  wanted,  while  the  men  and  boys  pro- 
ceeded down  to  the  beach. 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  251 


CHAPTER  III. 

UNLOADING   THE    WEECK. 

""T30YS,  boys,"  called  out  Mrs.  Benton  from  the  door- 
-•— '  way ;  "  I  wish,  you  would  tell  Mr.  Ready  that  I 
should  like  to  see  him." 

"  Present !  "  cried  Mr.  Ready,  who,  being  near  enough 
to  hear  what  had  been  said,  turned  and  went  towards  the 
house.  "  Well,  madam,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  was  merely  going  to  ask  you,"  said  Mrs.  Benton, 
"if  one  of  the  men  might  not  try  to  put  us  up  a  rough 
bedstead  before  night.  I  think  I  should  sleep  much 
more  comfortably  if  I  could  be  raised  a  short  distance 
from  the  floor." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Ready ;  "  I  will  ask  the  mate  to 
attend  to  the  matter  at  once." 

Then  he  hurried  to  the  beach,  where  a  boat  had  at 
that  moment  landed  from  the  wreck,  and  found  that  the 
mate  and  one  of  the  seamen  had  been  after  a  load  of 
supplies  for  the  house.  Among  other  things  Mr.  Cooper 
had  brought  his  tool  chest,  and,  though  too  busy  himself 
to  attend  to  the  matter,  he  readily  consented  to  let  Mr. 
Ready  use  the  tools ;  so  the  latter,  having  nothing  else 
to  do,  got  one  of  the  men  to  help  him  carry  the  chest 
to  the  house,  took  off  his  coat,  rolled  up  his  sleeves, 
and  went  to  work  like  a  born  carpenter.  By  evening, 
with  diligent  use  of  saw  and  plane,  hammer  and  nails, 
he  had  erected  a  very  fair  bedstead,  and  corded  it  with 


252  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

a  small  cord  brought  from  the  wreck.  He  had  also 
arranged  a  cot-bed  for  Eva.  And  great  was  the  delight 
of  the  family  when  they  surveyed  the  very  comfortable 
bedsteads  which  Mr.  Ready  had  turned  out.  Of  course 
they  were  rude  affairs,  but  they  were  very  comfortable 
nevertheless.  This  was  Mr.  Ready's  work  for  the  day. 
Let  us  see  what  the  others  had  been  doing. 

The  shed  on  the  end  of  the  wharf,  by  the  water's  edge, 
was  a  low  building  about  fifty  feet  long,  twelve  feet  wide, 
and  twelve  feet  high,  with  a  loft  half  way  between  the 
floor  and  the  roof.  Mr.  Cooper's  first  work  was  thor- 
oughly to  repair  this  shed, 'and  shingle  the  roof,  several 
thousand  fine  shingles  having  been  in  the  cargo  of  the 
Sea  Foam.  The  wharf  was  also  straightened,  and  made 
more  secure  in  various  ways,  while  several  large  plank 
that  lay  near  by  were  added  to  it  to  make  it  more  solid 
and  durable. 

While  these  operations  were  going  on,  the  great  work 
of  the  day,  and  of  many  days,  was  also  in  progress,  — 
namely,  the  removing  of  the  goods  from  the  wrecked 
schooner. 

The  water  was  perfectly  calm,  so  that  the  boat  loads 
could  be  brought  at  once  directly  to  the  wharf  or  stage 
head,  and,  being  landed,  quickly  removed  to  the  shed. 
After  breakfast,  all  three  of  the  boys  and  Mr.  Bern  is 
volunteered  their  services  in  aid  of  the  mate  and  sailors. 

The  three  boats  were  soon  in  active  service,  and  the 
party  hard  at  work  laboring  to  remove  the  stores. 

The  stern  of  the  Sea  Foam  was  so  far  submerged  that 
the  cabin  was  entirely  flooded  and  under  water;  but 
so  stout  was  the  partition  between  the  cabin  and  the 
hold,  that,  as  yet,  hardly  a  drop  of  water  had  touched 
the  cargo.  When  the  hatches  were  opened,  therefore, 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  253 

great  was  the  delight  of  all  to  find  everything  safe  and 
dry,  and  thus  the  work  of  transportation  could  at  once 
begin. 

"Five  men  and  three  boys,  with  three  boats,"  cried 
Allie,  "  ought  to  do  some  work  to-day." 

"  Yes,"  added  Freddie,  "  I  guess  we  can  soon  lighten  the 
old  Sea  Foam,  and  perhaps  get  her  off  the  rocks  too." 

"If  we  can  get  out  all  of  the  cargo,  excepting  the 
timbers  and  house  frame  and  boards  at  the  bottom,  then 
she  can  go  to  pieces  if  she  wants  to,  or  rather  if  she  has 
to,"  said  the  mate. 

"I  say,  Mr.  Cooper,"  said  Allie,  "don't  you  suppose 
we  really  can  get  her  off  ?  " 

"Well,  now,  Master  Allie,  I  should  not  like  to  say 
'yes,'  and  I  should  feel  it  unwise  to  say  'no.'  It  is  safe 
to  say  there  is  about  one  chance  in  a  hundred  of  such  an 
event  occurring." 

"If  she  hasn't  pounded  a  hole  through  her  bottom 
before  this,  she  has  done  well,"  said  Mr.  Bemis. 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,  too,"  replied  the  mate ;  "  a  hole  in 
a  vessel  is  repaired  comparatively  easily  in  almost  any 
other  place  than  on  the  forward  part  of  the  bottom." 

At  first  it  was  thought  best  to  strip  the  vessel  of  her 
sails  and  cordage ;  but,  strangely  enough,  the  mate  was 
influenced  by  Allie,  who  pleaded  so  earnestly,  that  it  was 
at  length  decided  to  empty  the  hold  first,  and  give  the 
boy  the  benefit  of  the  one  chance  of  again  floating  the 
schooner.  The  mate  himself  was  rather  in  favor  of  this 
one  chance,  for  he  looked  with  mournful  eyes  upon  the 
almost  certain  prospect  of  losing  the  Sea  Foam,  that 
gallant  vessel  which  had  borne  him  to  so  many  ports, 
to  be  finally  cast  away  on  an  unknown  and  uninhabited 
shore.  The  order  was  then  given  to  rig  the  tackle,  and 


254  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

soon  the  men  began  to  hoist  the  articles,  which  were 
on  top  of  the  cargo,  into  the  boats. 

Great  was  the  delight  of  the  boys  when  the  work  of 
removing  the  articles  in  the  hold  commenced.  None 
of  them,  of  course,  wished  for  any  serious  danger  or 
deprivation,  but,  as  boys,  making  the  most  of  everything, 
even  of  disaster,  now  that  disaster  had  really  occurred, 
each  showed  the  spirit  of  a  young  Crusoe  upon  his  desert 
island,  and  all  worked,  as  the  mate  said,  "like  young 
beavers,"  the  rest  of  the  day. 

By  noon  the  boats  had  been  from  the  vessel  to  the 
wharf  twice  each.  As  there  were  three  boats,  this  made 
six  loads.  Much  of  this  material  consisted  of  empty 
barrels,  wood  and  coal,  a  small  coal  cooking-stove,  taken 
from  the  galley ;  sundry  coils  of  rope,  large  and  small, 
pieces  of  sail-cloth,  and  an  endless  variety  of  odds  and 
ends  of  rigging  and  articles  of  necessary  use  on  ship- 
board that  were  valuable  and  necessary  to  be  preserved 
with  great  care.  These  had  all  been  stowed  away  in  the 
shed,  when  the  workmen  were  called  to  dinner. 

Max  had  provided  an  excellent  bean  soup  for  the  occa- 
sion, and  the  men  did  full  justice  to  it,  their  unusual 
exertions  making  them  hungry. 

For  the  family's  dinner,  Mr.  Taylor  had  profited  by 
the  morning's  fine  weather,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  a 
nice  mess  of  trout,  from  a  small  pond,  from  which  trick- 
led a  little  brook,  which  finally  found  its  way  into  the 
sea,  back  of  the  house  about  half  a  mile.  Having  estab- 
lished the  fact  that  there  were  trout  near  by,  Mr.  Taylor 
seemed  to  come  at  once  into  a  state  of  extraordinary 
good  nature,  and,  throwing  away  his  usual  sarcastic 
manner,  was  quite  communicative  and  even  pleasant  for 
the  remainder  of  the  day. 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  255 

After  dinner  the  work  on  the  wreck  continued. 

Allie  was  now  so  thoroughly  possessed  with  the  hope 
of  saving  his  beloved  Sea  Foam,  that  he  could  think  of 
nothing  else.  The  mate,  indeed,  laughed  at  the  idea. 

"  But,  Mr.  Cooper,"  said  Allie,  "  even  you  must  confess 
that  the  few  loads  of  the  morning  have  made  enough  of 
a  difference  in  lightening  the  schooner  to  raise  the  cabin 
roof  clear  above  water." 

Mr.  Cooper  started  for  a  moment,  as  he  seemed  to 
realize  that  what  Allie  had  said  was  really  true ;  and 
even  the  sailors  themselves  seemed  now,  for  the  first 
time,  to  note  that  the  cabin  roof  was  no  longer  beneath 
the  water. 

"We  can  tell  better  by  and  by,"  was  all  that  Mr. 
Cooper  ventured  to  remark,  however,  and  so  the  work 
went  on,  slowly  but  surely,  of  removing  the  cargo  of  the 
Sea  Foam,  and  storing  it  away  in  the  ample  shed  at  the 
rear  of  the  wharf. 

Meanwhile  the  boys  chatted  with  each  other  like 
young  parrots. 

"  I  say,  Allie,"  said  Freddie,  "  this  doesn't  seem  much 
like  a  shipwreck,  does  it  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Allie  ;  "  in  all  the  books  I  ever 
read,  either  the  vessel  went  to  the  bottom,  leaving  the 
crew  and  passengers  on  a  small  raft,  with  nothing  to  eat, 
and  sharks  all  around  them,  and  wind  and  rain,  to  drift 
a  thousand  miles  or  so  to  land ;  or  the  vessel  went  to 
pieces  on  the  rocks,  half  of  her  goods  were  spoiled  and 
the  other  half  went  to  the  bottom,  and  they  had  to  live 
in  a  tent  until  they  had  discovered  a  cave  to  stay  in." 

"Yes,  and  not  always  as  good  as  that,"  exclaimed 
Freddie.  "  I  think  this  is  just  fun,  for  if  we  don't  get  the 
Sea  Foam  off  somebody  will  be  sure  to  find  us  here  and 


256  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

take  us  off.  I  only  hope  that  they  won't  come  too 
soon." 

"  That's  the  bother,"  said  John,  "  they  will  be  taking 
us  off  before  we've  begun  to  stay  here  half  long  enough, 
and  that  will  spoil  all  our  sport." 

"  No,"  said  Allie,  "  I'll  tell  you  what :  yesterday 
everybody  abandoned  the  schooner  and  called  hef  a 
wreck;  to-day  they  are  taking  out  all  the  cargo  and  car- 
rying it  on  shore ;  just  before  we  commenced  work  this 
morning  the  mate  said  that  the  vessel  couldn't  be  saved. 
Now  if  she  gets  off,  and  we  can  get  her  into  the  water 
again,  I'm  going  to  claim  her,  and  we'll  all  take  her  and 
cruise  about  and  turn  pirates.  Mr.  Stebbins  and  Mr. 
Barney  say  that  I  can,  and  that  they'll  go  with  us.  That 
will  make  five,  and  I  guess  we  can  manage  the  schooner 
alone." 

The  boys  all  laughed,  and  did  not  seem  to  notice  that 
Mr.  Barney  and  Mr.  Stebbins  looked  rather  red  and  con- 
fused, and  hung  their  heads,  or  that  Mr.  Cooper  looked 
unusually  stern  and  displeased  at  something ;  nobody 
said  anything,  however,  and  soon  all  were  talking  and 
laughing  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

"  I-e !  i-e !  i-e ! "  sung  the  men  as  they  hoisted  upon 
the  tackle  in  drawing  a  huge  hogshead  of  molasses 
out  of  the  hold.  "  Steady  there ! "  shouted  the  mate ; 
"  don't  let  her  slip,  or  you'll  break  the  cask  and  spill  the 
whole." 

"  I-e !  i-e !  i-e ! "  continued  the  men ;  "  up  she  comes ! " 

At  that  moment,  just  as  the  final  hoist  was  necessary 
to  bring  the  hogshead  clear  of  the  hold,  somebody's 
hands  slipped.  The  weight  before  had  been  almost  too 
much  for  the  men  at  work  at  the  tackle ;  this  catastrophe 
made  it  altogether  beyond  their  control,  and  with  an 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  257 

ominous  whir-r-r-r  the  rope  slipped,  and  before  it  could 
be  belayed  down  went  the  big  hogshead  with  a  crash 
on  a  barrel  of  pickles  and  a  barrel  of  flour  that  happened 
to  be  directly  beneath  it.  By  great  good  fortune  the 
molasses  cask  remained  unhurt,  while  the  barrel  of 
pickles  was  smashed,  and  the  flour  barrel  was  crushed  to 
atoms.  The  flour  flew  in  all  directions,  and  the  pickle 
brine  trickled  slowly  into  the  bottom  of  the  vessel. 

"  Oh,  ho ! "  cried  Freddie,  "  boys,  come  quick !  did  you 
ever  see  the  cucumber  flower  ?  " 

All  laughed  heartily  at  the  joke,  and  as  soon  as  an 
extra  hand  had  been  put  on  the  tackle  fall,  the  molasses 
hogshead  was  safely  landed  in  the  boat,  and  the  spoiled 
portions  of  the  flour  and  cucumbers,  the  most  of  the  latter 
being  unharmed,  were  gathered  up  and  cast  overboard. 

Slowly  the  barrels  of  flour,  biscuits,  pork,  beef,  meal, 
and  other  goods  were  raised  and  lowered  into  the  boats. 

The  men  took  turns  at  loading  them  and  rowing  them 
to  shore,  so  that  those  who  rowed  the  last  boat,  on  re- 
turning would  work  at  the  tackle,  while  those  who 
had  been  to  work  at  the  tackle  would  row  the  boat  to 
shore.  As  the  weather  was  fine,  everything  was  left 
just  where  it  was  landed,  to  be  put  into  the  shed,  after 
supper. 

Everybody  felt  the  necessity  of  working  day  and 
night,  while  the  fine  weather  lasted,  in  collecting  all  the 
stores  possible ;  for  if  a  rough  sea  should  set  in,  the  good 
ship  would  go  to  pieces  in  a  few  hours. 

At  length  a  long,  loud  blast  of  the  fog  horn,  which 
Max  had  appropriated  for  a  dinner  horn,  was  heard 
sounding  over  the  waters  by  those  at  work  at  the  vessel, 
and  all  were  glad  when  the  mate  gave  the  word,  "all 
hands  quit  work  for  supper ! " 


258  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

The  last  boat  load  was  rowed  to  the  wharf,  the  barrels 
taken  out,  and  all  hastened  to  supper. 

"  I  declare ! "  exclaimed  Fred,  as  the  boys  entered  the 
dining-room  together,  "  I  feel  as  if  I  had  worked  a  week, 
and  was  hungry  enough  to  eat  twenty-one  meals." 

John  declared  that  one  good  one  would  be  enough 
for  him,  and  that  for  his  part  he  guessed  that  the 
dough  Max  had  talked  about  in  the  morning,  had  been 
in  the  kettle  of  hot  lard,  and  that  doughnuts  were  the 
result. 

Max  had,  indeed,  prepared  a  good  supper  for  the 
hungry  boys.  The  hot  coffee  filled  the  room  with  its 
rich  aroma,  and  the  usual  dish  of*  hardtack,  which 
graced  the  center  of  the  table,  remained  almost  un- 
touched, there  were  so  many  other  good  things.  As 
John  had  predicted,  there  was  a  large  pan  of  fresh 
doughnuts  and  a  nice  plate  of  cheese;  huge  slices  of 
cold  corned  beef,  and  even  mustard  for  a  relish  for  it ; 
and  new  fresh  biscuits  and  nice  butter. 

"I'd  rather  be  cast  away,  than  stay  at  home,"  said 
Freddie,  in  a  perfect  ecstasy  of  delight  at  the  prospect 
of  such  a  bountiful  repast. 

"So  had  I!"  exclaimed  Eva.  "And  Freddie,"  she 
continued,  "you  don't  know  what  quantities  of  new, 
pretty  flowers  Mr.  Taylor  brought  me  and  helped  me 
plant  in  my  flower-bed ! " 

"  I  don't  see  the  connection  between  supper  and  your 
flower-garden,  Eva,"  remarked  John,  dryly.  "I  prefer 
the  supper,  just  now." 

"  Humph  ! "  said  Freddie.  "  Come,  Eva  dear,  you 
shall  show  me  the  flower-garden  first,  then  I'll  eat  my 
supper." 

John  and  Allie  looked  rather  foolish,  but  sat  down 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  259 

and  began  eating ;  Eva  looked  gratified,  and  taking  Fred- 
die's arm,  the  two  went  out  to  view  the  new  plants. 

There  were,  indeed,  several  kinds.  Two  apparently 
different  species  of  small  white,  delicate  flowers,  resem- 
bling pinks,  a  very  small,  but  most  beautiful  pink  flower, 
with  a  delicious  odor,  and  several  other  pretty  plants, 
all  of  which  seemed  to  be  doing  well,  and  had  not  wilted, 
though  they  had  been  planted  early  in  the  afternoon. 

"  I  tell  you,  Eva,  what  I  will  do,  bye  and  bye,"  said 
Freddie. 

"  What  is  it  ?     Do  tell  me  ! "  cried  Eva. 

"  I'll  get  a  lot  of  shingles,  cut  them  in  two,  point  them, 
and  lay  you  out  a  pretty  garden." 

"  Oh,  oh ! "  cried  Eva,  clapping  her  hands.  "  How  nice 
that  will  be !  What  a  good  brother  you  are  !  I'll  kiss 
you,  Freddie,"  and  she  reached  up  her  head  and  arms  and 
gave  her  brother  an  affectionate,  sisterly  smack,  then 
clapped  her  hands  in  great  glee. 

"  Ah,  ha !  what's  this  !  Heighty,  tighty ! "  cried  Mr. 
Benton,  just  then  coming  around  the  house;  "making 
love,  hey  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  papa !  Only  Freddie  is  awfully  good  to  me," 
replied  Eva. 

"  Well !  he'd  better  be  if  he  knows  what's  good  for 
him,"  faintly  murmured  Mr.  Benton,  as  if  to  himself, 
as  he  disappeared  around  the  other  corner  of  the  house. 

And  now,  all  having  arrived,  they  sat  down  to  the  sup- 
per which  Max  had  provided  for  them,  and  partook  of  it 
with  the  greatest  relish. 

"  Well,  boys  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  "  have  you  un- 
loaded the  poor  Sea  Foam  ?  " 

"  Oh  my,  no  ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  with  such  an  emphasis 
that  all  laughed,  "  not  nearly,  nor  hardly  half ! " 


260  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  That's  good  grammar,"  put  in  Freddie ;  " '  not  nearly, 
nor  hardly  half.' " 

"  Well ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  "  they  all  know  what  I 
mean." 

"  Not  always  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  slightly  smiling. 
"Your  impetuosity  of  speech  often  carries  you  into  the 
unknowable ;  you  ought  really  to  be  more  precise  in  your 
methods  of  enunciation." 

Allie  said  nothing,  but  the  doughnuts  disappeared  with 
such  surprising  celerity  as  to  call  forth  another  correction 
from  a  still  different  quarter. 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  cried  Eva,  "  I  do  believe  Allie  is  going  to 
build  himself  a  pen ! " 

"What!"  said  John. 

"  A  pen ! "  Eva  repeated. 

"What's  that  for?"  said  Ireddie. 

"  So  that  he  can  turn  into  a  little  pig,"  laughed  she ;  "he 
has  eaten  four  doughnuts,  while  I  have  been  doing  my  best 
to  eat  one,  and  I  only  wonder  we  don't  hear  him  grunt." 

"  Ugh,  ugh,  ugh ! "  said  Allie.  "  Just  one  more  dough- 
nut, Max,  if  you  please." 

"Two  more  if  you  want  them,"  said  Max,  good-na- 
turedly. 

"  No,  one  will  do,  thank  you  ! " 

"  Well,  madam  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready ;  "  I  congratu- 
late you  on  your  pretty  curtains." 

Mrs.  Benton  had,  with  a  small  roll  of  figured  calico, 
made  ruffled  lambrequins  to  her  windows,  and  hung,  from 
each  side,  long  curtains,  which  were  fastened  back  by 
narrow  folded  bands  of  the  same  material  about  one- 
third  of  the  distance  to  the  floor,  so  that  the  lower  third 
hung  gracefully  down  and  lay  trailing  for  several  inches 
on  the  floor. 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  261 

"I  think  we  have  progressed  well,  to-day,  in  our 
house-keeping  arrangemsnts,"  remarked  Mrs.  Benton. 
"  We  have  done  our  best,  at  all  events.  And  you,  Mr. 
Ready,  have  greatly  added  to  our  comfort,  I  do  assure 
you ! " 

"  Ah ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  pleasantly,  pursuing  his  con- 
versation, "let  me  see!  four  windows  here  and  two  in 
the  bedrooms,  it  must  have  kept  you  quite  busy,  madam ! " 

"  Yes  ! "  smilingly  nodded  Mrs.  Benton.  "  Two  bed- 
steads and  numberless  little  necessary  improvements." 

Mr.  Ready  nodded  his  head,  smiling  pleasantly,  and 
Mrs.  Benton  did  the  same,  each  acknowledging  the  deli- 
cate compliment.  After  supper  all  arose  and  proceeded 
out  of  doors,  while  Max  sat  down  to  his  supper  with  the 
mate,  who  had  just  come  in. 

For  a  few  moments,  the  two  ate  in  silence,  then  the 
mate  said : 

"  Max,  a  few  words  in  confidence,  I  know  you  are  to 
be  trusted.  What's  the  matter  with  Stebbins  and  Bar- 
ney ?  Have  they  hinted  to  you,  at  any  time,  or  have 
you  ever  heard,  that  they  were  dissatisfied  with  any  one 
or  anything  ?  " 

Here  he  told  him  the  conversation  of  Allie  on  the  boat, 
and  of  the  confused  looks  of  the  men. 

"  Why,  no ! "  exclaimed  Max,  "  I  think  it  is  nothing, 
but  I  will  have  my  eyes  out  for  sparks,  I  will  find  out  if 
anybody." 

"Yes,  I  know  your  power  among  all  the  men,"  re- 
plied the  mate,  "and  that  is  why  I  thought  I  would 
mention  the  subject.  I  do  not  myself  suppose  that  it 
amounts  to  anything,  but  you  can  tell  probably  in  a  day 
or  two." 

Having  eaten  supper,  the  mate  returned  to  the  wharf 


262  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

to  help  the  men  in  storing  away,  in  the  shed,  the  goods 
they  had  just  taken  from  the  wreck. 

There  were  barrels  of  flour,  graham  and  Indian  meal, 
and  several  of  oatmeal;  corned  beef  and  pork;  dried 
beef,  bacon,  and  ham ;  boxes  of  canned  goods,  meats,  veg- 
etables, and  preserves ;  several  hogsheads  of  molasses ; 
one  or  two  barrels  of  fresh  fruit ;  barrels  of  both  white 
and  brown  sugar ;  and  several  crates  of  cheap  crockery. 
Mr.  Benton  had  loaded  his  vessel  with  abundant  supplies, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Ready,  who  had  formerly  con- 
ducted, quite  successfully,  several  trading  expeditions  of 
his  own,  to  the  northeast  coast  of  Labrador,  and  he  was 
therefore  in  an  excellent  condition  to  be  cast  away,  and 
even  to  live  luxuriously  and  enjoy  the  situation,  provided 
his  stores  could  be  saved.  This  was  now  highly  probable. 
A  few  more  days  of  good  weather,  and  all  would  yet  be 
saved ;  the  supplies  in  the  schooner's  hold  would  be  safely 
stored  in  the  shed  on  shore ;  and  everything  put  in  a  con- 
dition to  begin  the  real  work  of  the  season,  which  Mr. 
Benton  had  decided  to  pursue.  In  fact,  short  and  com- 
prehensive had  been  Mr.  Benton's  orders  to  the  men,  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  wreck,  and  a  single  sentence  com- 
prised the  whole.  Mr.  Benton  had  said :  "  Get  all  the 
goods  out  of  the  wreck  and  store  them  in  the  shed,  and 
then  go  to  fishing." 

"  Then  go  to  fishing ! "  repeated  the  mate  to  himself, 
fully  understanding  the  words  and  all  they  implied. 

"  Well !  if  the  word  is  fishing,  fishing  it  is,"  solilo- 
quized Mr.  Cooper,  as  he  walked  slowly  toward  the 
wharf,  to  see  to  carrying  out  Mr.  Benton's  orders. 

"Well,  my  hearties,"  said  Mr.  Cooper,  as  he  reached 
the  open  door  of  the  shed,  "let's  see  where  we  can  put 
all  these  things,  now  that  we  have  landed  them." 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  263 

As  all  the  barrels  and  boxes  were  labeled  on  both  ends 
with  the  names  of  their  contents,  it  required  very  little 
time  to  pack  them  away,  no  attention  being  paid  even  to 
getting  those  of  a  kind  together,  as  there  was  much  more 
yet  to  be  brought  over,  besides  a  large  quantity  of  salt  in 
bags  for  the  preservation  of  fish.  This  latter,  should  the 
fish  prove  abundant  out  in  the  bay,  could  all  be  put  to 
practical  use.  With  the  men  at  hand  the  three  boats 
would  easily  be  manned  for  the  fishing,  and  the  boys 
could  also  help  in  the  work  of  cleaning  and  preparing 
them  after  they  had  been  brought  on  shore.  Mr.  Cooper 
had  not  yet  said  a  word  to  anybody  about  the  nature 
of  Mr.  Benton's  communication,  so,  really,  there  were  only 
two  persons  who  knew  what  his  future  plans  could  be. 

In  a  few  hours  all  the  barrels  and  boxes  were  stowed 
away  safely,  the  shed  door  securely  fastened  with  pad- 
lock and  key,  and  the  latter  taken  up  to  the  house  and 
given  in  charge  of  Max,  and  again  the  shades  of  night 
began  to  fall  upon  the  poor,  unfortunate,  shipwrecked 
beings. 

Poor,  unfortunate,  shipwrecked  beings  indeed !  Wherein 
were  the  first  two  adjectives  exemplified  ?  Here  was  a 
family,  shipwrecked  on  a  strange  coast,  in  danger  of  los- 
ing everything  and  perhaps  their  lives ;  and  behold  the 
same,  almost  as  well  established  as  if  they  had  lived 
there  all  their  lives,  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  and  doubtless 
the  means  near  them  of  returning  home  again  in  the  fall 
laden  with  the  products  of  the  country  in  addition  to  the 
very  stores  they  had  taken  out  for  stock  in  trade.  Not 
such  a  very  bad  showing,  after  all. 

"  Well,  men,"  cried  the  mate,  "  I  guess  you'll  all  sleep 
well  to-night.  It  is  eight  o'clock ;  the  time  is  yours  now 
for  twelve  hours." 


264  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Mr.  Cooper,"  said  one  of  the  men,  Peters  by  name, 
sidling  up  to  the  mate  with  a  most  serious  face,  "Mr. 
Cooper,  sir,  could  you  give  us  a  leetle  tobaccer  and  one 
or  two  pipes  to  replace  our  old  ones,  sir  ?  "  asked  Peters, 
in  a  loud  whisper. 

"Why,  certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Cooper,  concealing  a 
smile,  and  a  few  moments  later  Peters  returned  from  the 
house  with  his  hands  and  pockets  full.  Great  was  the 
delight  of  the  crew  at  this,  to  them,  magnificent  present. 
It  is  proverbial,  that  sailors  care  more  for  tobacco  than 
for  any  other  article  of  luxury  that  could  be  named. 
These  were  no  exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  A 
moment  later,  and  each  was  engaged  in  filling  his  pipe, 
first  cutting  a  few  chips  from  off  his  hunk,  then  rolling 
it  about  in  the  palm  of  his  hand,  with  a  motion  pecu- 
liar to  all  users  of  clay  pipes  and  "  plug "  tobacco ; 
then  with  several  pulls  they  lighted  them  and  sauntered 
off  with  hands  in  their  pockets,  apparently  the  most 
happy  of  men. 

Mr.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Bemis  started  off  towards  the 
crest  of  the  hill  above,  where  the  forms  of  Mr.  Ready 
and  Mr.  Benton  could  still  be  seen  viewing  the  surround- 
ing country. 

Eva  and  Freddie  were  hard  at  work  laying  out  Eva's 
garden,  Freddie  having  secured  part  of  a  bundle  of  shin- 
gles for  this  purpose,  which  the  men  had  left  from  cov- 
ering the  top  of  the  shed  on  the  wharf.  With  a  small 
hatchet,  which  he  had  borrowed  from  the  tool  chest,  he 
was  cutting  these  in  two  pieces  and  pointing  the  edges. 
When  he  had  secured  a  sufficient  number  he  easily 
pressed  one  end  into  the  ground  several  inches,  placing 
each  piece  close  to  the  next,  until  he  had  thus  fenced  in 
a  piece  of  ground  nearly  a  rod  square,  through  the  cen- 


UNLOADING    THE    WRECK.  265 

ter  of  which  trickled  the  little  brook,  and  then  with  a 
jump  he  was  off  to  find  the  rest  of  the  boys  who  were 
fishing  for  tomcods  off  the  end  of  the  wharf.  The  torn- 
cods  were  to  be  seen  in  a  perfect  school,  several  feet  be- 
low the  water,  and  the  boys  were  hauling  them  in  as  fast 
as  they  could  bait  and  throw  in  their  lines.  They 
baited  with  small  bits  of  fat  -pork,  and  had  already 
caught  between  forty  and  fifty  cod  and  three  flounders. 


266  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A 'BIG    HAUL. 

IT  was  late  in  the  evening  when  the  boys  stopped  fish- 
ing, and  Max,  who  had  come  down  to  the  wharf,  after 
doing  the  work  in  the  kitchen,  had  cleaned  the  largest  of 
the  fish  for  breakfast  in  the  morning ;  then  all  returned 
to  the  house  together.  It  was  late,  but  the  air  was  still 
cool  and  fresh,  and  the  twilight  still  lingered. 

"  How  late  it  is,  and  yet  how  plainly  we  can  see  every- 
thing," remarked  John,  as  they  pursued  their  way  to  the 
house.  "  I  believe  that  I  could  see  to  read,  if  I  only  had 
a  book  with  me." 

"Mr.  Taylor  says  that  it  is  a  peculiarity  of  this  cli- 
mate," put  in  Allie.  "  He  says  that  in  the  summer  time 
you  can  sometimes  see  to  read  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night 
by  the  twilight  alone,  and  that  it  is  light  again  at  three 
in  the  morning." 

"  I  don't  see  why  that  should  be,"  said  Max. 

"  It  must  be,  Max,"  said  Freddie,  "  because  of  the  con- 
vex surface  of  the  earth,  and  because  we  are  so  near  the 
North  pole.  The  earth  is  not  so  many  miles  around 
here  as  it  is  at  the  center  or  largest  part,  don't  you  see  ? 
So,  of  course,  the  twilight  must  last  longer  over  a  given 
amount  of  surface." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it ! "  laughed  Max  ;  "  well,  I  am  glad 
to  know  that ;  I  never  could  understand  it  before.  Now, 
boys,  good  night." 


A   BIG   HAUL.  267 

Max  had  hardly  spoken  the  words  before  innumerable 
threads  of  white  light  lit  up  the  northern  sky  and  shot 
far  upwards  into  the  heavens  towards  the  zenith.  This 
increased  rapidly,  until  the  boys  stood  watching  a  trem- 
bling, gauzy  veil  which  gradually  lit  up  the  whole  sky, 
in  that  direction,  which  disappeared  and  appeared  again 
with  rapid,  successive  flashes,  until  it  finally  condensed 
into  a  huge  band  or  ribbon,  spanning  the  sky  from  the 
northeast  to  the  northwest.  For  over  half  an  hour  the 
boys  stood  watching  this  beautiful  electrical  display ; 
then  they  too  retired  to  rest. 

The  next  morning  work  was  continued  on  the  vessel. 

"It  is  remarkable,"  said  Mr.  Eeady  to  Mr.  Benton, 
"that,  in  this  region  of  the  globe,  we  have  but  three 
kinds  of  weather  —  pleasant,  foggy,  and  rainy  —  that 
is,  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Now  each  of  these  usually 
lasts  several  days  at  a  time,  and  as  our  fog  lasted  us 
three  or  four  days,  so  our  pleasant  weather  may  last  us 
an  equal  amount  of  time.  I  believe,  sir,"  Mr.  Ready 
continued,  "we  shall  be  able  to  entirely  unload  the  Sea 
Foam  while  the  pleasant  weather  lasts." 

"  I  sincerely  hope  so,"  replied  Mr.  Benton ;  "  it  is 
much  to  be  desired,  at  any  rate." 

At  that  moment  Eva  and  her  mother  appeared  from 
their  room,  and  greeted  the  company. 

"  Good  morning,  madam,"  said  Mr.  Eeady,  with  good- 
natured  suavity ;  "  I  hope  you  rested  well  last  night  ?  " 

"  Most  excellently,  Mr.  Ready,"  said  Mrs.  Benton, 
"thanks  to  your  most  successful  endeavors  in  my  be- 
half." 

"  And  Eva,  my  dear,"  continued  Mr.  Ready,  "  how  did 
your  new  cot  suit  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  splendidly,  Mr.   Ready,"  said  Eva,  enthusiast^ 


268  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

cally ;  "  I  am  ever,  and  ever  so  much  obliged  for  the 
trouble  you  have  taken  for  me." 

"  We  must  all  do  things  for  each  other  now,  my  dear," 
said  the  former,  laughing ;  "  but  come  out  into  the  beauti- 
ful morning  air,  and  agree  with  me  that  our  climate,  at  its 
best,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  is  perfect." 

"  A  beautiful  morning,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Benton,  as  she 
gazed,  in  undisguised  admiration,  at  the  clear,  well-de- 
fined view  before  her.  "  This  view,  of  itself,  is  enough 
to  make  one  wish  to  remain  here ;  I  declare,  it  is  most 
perfect ! " 

"  We  have  views  of  this  description  all  up  and  down 
the  coast,"  remarked  Mr.  Ready. 

"  I  think  none  of  us  will  be  sorry  for  a  few  months  of 
this  weather  in  such  a  beautiful  location,"  remarked  Mr. 
Benton ;  "  it  is  beginning  to  do  me  good  already,  and  I 
am  sure  that  Mrs.  Benton  is  looking  much  improved, 
also." 

While  they  were  standing  at  the  door  and  viewing  the 
scenery,  the  three  boats  were  seen  to  glide  from  the  har- 
bor, and  slowly  approach  the  vessel. 

"  There  go  the  men,"  shouted  Allie.  "  See  !  they  are 
going  to  the  poor  old  Sea  Foam." 

"Another  day's  work  will  do  considerable  towards 
emptying  her  hold,  at  any  rate,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton, 
rather  to  himself  than  to  anybody  else.  "  I  hope  we  can 
clear  everything  before  a  storm  or  rough  sea  sets  in." 

"  I  think  we  can  do  it,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  with  con- 
siderable emphasis.  "Mr.  Bemis  and  I  will  eat  our 
breakfast,  and  go  on  board  and  assist,  sir,"  and  Captain 
Ready  entered  the  breakfast  room,  and  bustled  about 
and  stirred  up  Max  the  cook.  Then  he  and  Mr.  Bemis 
sat  down  and  began  to  eat. 


A  BIG  HAUL.  269 

They  were  soon  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  party,  and 
all  found  that  Max's  oatmeal,  and  broiled  fresh  tonicod, 
and  crisp  pork  chips,  and  fried  potatoes,  and  fresh  bis- 
cuits and  butter,  went  off  at  a  surprising  rate. 

"This  is  the  grub  that  makes  the  butterfly,"  whis- 
pered Allie,  as  he  nudged  Freddie  in  the  side. 

"  H-sh-sh-sh ! "  replied  Freddie,  nudging  back,  and 
eating  as  fast  as  ever  he  could ;  "  that's  old." 

Just  then  Eva  was  eating  a  nice  piece  of  buttered  bis- 
cuit, and,  as  Freddie's  remark  was  somewhat  louder  than 
he  had  intended  it  should  be,  Eva  overheard  it,  very 
naturally,  and  thought  that  it  applied  to  what  she  was 
eating. 

"No,  it  isn't  old,"  exclaimed  that  young  lady,  some- 
what impetuously ;  "  it  isn't  old  a  bit,  and  I  think  you 
are  real  mean  to  spoil  my  mouthful;  there  now,"  and 
Eva  tossed  the  piece  of  biscuit  back  into  her  plate,  and 
looked  fire  for  a  moment  at  Freddie. 

After  Allie  had  explained  that  it  was  meant  for  him,  and 
told  the  joke,  Eva  laughed,  begged  Freddie's  pardon,  and 
was  soon  eating  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

By  this  time  Mr.  Ready  and  Mr.  Bemis  had  finished 
breakfasting  and  gone  to  the  wharf  to  be  there  when  the 
first  boat  should  come  ashore,  to  go  on  board  of  the  ves- 
sel. The  boys,  too,  hurried  their  meal,  as  they  saw  one 
of  the  boats  approaching,  that  they  too  might  go  ;  thus 
the  ladies  were  left  quite  by  themselves,  especially  as 
Mr.  Taylor  went  off  for  another  try  at  the  trout,  where 
Mr.  Benton,  strange  to  say,  had  been  induced  to  accom- 
pany him. 

'•'There  now,  Max,"  said  Mrs.  Benton,  half  an  hour 
afterwards,  when  the  table  had  been  cleared,  though  the 
dishes  had  not  yet  been  washed;  "we  have  the  whole 


270  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

house  to  ourselves ;  even  Eva  is  out  at  her  flower- 
garden." 

"Not  quite  alone,"  sounded  a  voice  in  the  doorway, 
and  Mr.  Ready  entered  with  his  arms  full  of  boards, 
which  with  a  great  deal  of  trouble  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting up  the  steps  into  the  loft  above. 

"  There,"  sounded  Mr.  Eeady's  hollow  voice  from  above, 
"  now  I  guess  I  can  fix  things.  I  was  one  too  many  on 
the  boat.  I'll  have  it  all  to  myself  here." 

While  Mr.  Ready  was  busy  "fixing  things,"  or,  in  other 
words,  making  bunks  for  each  man  to  sleep  in,  we  will 
return  to  the  wreck. 

As  the  boat  containing  the  boys  had  approached  the 
vessel,  Allie  whispered  to  Fred : 

"  Oh,  Freddie,  see !  the  wheel  is  now  out  of  water ; 
we'll  have  the  old  Sea  Foam  afloat  yet,  see  if  we  don't." 

It  was  indeed  true. 

The  men  had  been  unloading  the  schooner  by  the 
stern  hatch-way,  and  the  decrease  of  weight  had  indeed, 
during  the  night,  caused  the  wreck  to  rise  several  feet 
further  above  the  water  line.  No  one  else  seemed  to 
pay  any  attention  to  the  fact,  however,  as  all  were  too 
busy  preparing  for  a  renewal  of  yesterday's  work  of  un- 
loading the  remainder  of  the  cargo. 

While  the  men  were  at  work  loading  the  boats  from 
the  hold,  the  boys,  launching  a  small  dory  that  had  been 
lying  near  the  starboard  side  of  the  bow  of  the  vessel, 
amused  themselves  in  paddling  about  here  and  there, 
and  occupying  the  time  first  in  this  way  and  then 
in  that.  Sometimes  they  would  fish  for  tomcod,  and 
usually  had  pretty  good  luck.  Sometimes  they  would 
sink  their  lines  to  the  bottom  and  catch  what  the  French 
sailors  termed,  at  least  as  well  as  they  could  understand 


A   BIG  HAUL.  271 

them  from  their  peculiar  enunciation  of  the  language,  a 
plugoy,  or  sculpin,  of  which  there  seemed  to  be  several 
kinds,  and  some  of  them  monsters. 

"  What  an  ugly  looking  fellow,"  remarked  Freddie,  as 
he  drew  up  one  larger  than  any  of  the  rest,  and  nearly 
two  feet  long.  "What  an  immense  mouth  and  ugly 
head;  it  looks  hungry  enough  to  swallow  itself." 

"  Like  the  African  anaconda  ? "  said  Allie,  "  who 
could  'swallow  himself,  and  come  out  again  with  facil- 
ity?'" 

"  I  guess  so,"  said  Freddie,  as  he  gave  the  ugly  rascal 
a  whack  against  the  side  of  the  boat  and  sent  him  to  the 
bottom  again. 

After  a  time  Allie  drew  in  a  large  flounder,  and  soon 
John  drew  in  another. 

"We'll  carry  these  home,"  said  Allie;  "they  are  splen- 
did eating." 

"  I'm  going  to  catch  a  big  codfish,"  laughed  John,  as 
he  drew  in  his  line,  wound  it  up,  and  proceeded  to  ex- 
tract a  hugh,  heavy  cod  line  from  the  locker. 

"Good  luck  to  you,"  shouted  Freddie,  as  the  stout 
line  with  its  heavy  lead  sinker  splashed  in  the  water, 
baited  with  a  large  piece  cut  from  the  back  of  one  of 
the  smaller  fishes,  from  which  the  skin  had  first  been 
peeled. 

"There  she  goes,"  responded  John,  as  fathom  after 
fathom  of  line  ran  out,  "  plumb  on  the  bottom ;  now 
draw  it  up  an  arms-length  and  make  the  line  fast  to  the 
thole-pin ;  there  now,  if  we  don't  have  something  pretty 
soon  I'm  no  good  at  guessing." 

"  Hooray  ! "  cried  John,  exultantly,  after  holding  on  to 
his  line  and  waiting  patiently  for  some  fifteen  minutes, 
"here  she  comes,  boys,  and  a  big  one  too,  I  guess,  from 


272  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. ' 

the  feeling ;  a  ten  pounder,  I'll  bet,"  and  John  tugged 
manfully  at  the  line. 

"  Steady,"  laughed  Freddie,  as  his  brother  now  stood 
up  and  now  sat  down  to  pull  the  more  easily. 

"  Steady  it  is,"  screeched  rather  than  spoke  John,  as 
he  landed  a  huge  cod  with  slash  and  splatter  right  in  the 
midst  of  the  dory,  singing  out  "  heads  "  as  he  did  so. 

Freddie  jumped  to  one  end  of  the  boat  and  Allie  to 
the  other. 

"I  guess  it  is  a  shark,"  cried  the  former;  "it's  big 
enough  and  makes  enough  splashing." 

"  Hallo,  boys,"  called  out  Mr.  Bemis  from  the  schooner, 
"  what  have  you  got  ?  " 

"  A  big  cod,"  cried  Allie ;  "  an  awful  big  one ;  John 
caught  it ;  come  and  see  it." 

"Well,"  responded  Mr.  Bemis,  with  a  laugh,  "I'm.  like 
a  great  many  persons  in  a  great  many  things,  but  I  can't 
walk  on  the  water  like  Peter,  yet." 

The  mate,  too,  pricked  up  his  ears  when  he  heard  that 
the  boys  had  caught  a  codfish.  "Where  there's  one, 
there's  generally  more  to  keep  him  company,"  he  dryly 
remarked  to  Mr.  Bemis. 

"  Try  it  again,  boys,"  called  out  Mr.  Bemis. 

"  We're  going  to,"  replied  Freddie  ;  "  get  us  a  couple 
more  lines,  and  we'll  come  after  them,"  added  Allie. 

While  Mr.  Bemis  was  procuring  the  lines,  the  boys 
rowed  up  to  the  schooner  and  tossed  their  fish  on  board. 

"That  is  a  fine  one,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper,  admiring 
it  more  from  an  old  hand's  point  of  view,  however.  "  I 
guess  it  will  weigh  twenty  pounds.  A  big  one,  too,  for 
the  spring  of  the  year.  If  we  could  catch  a  thousand 
quintals  of  that  sort  of  fish  we  could  go  home  pretty 
well  loaded,  Mr.  Bernis." 


A   BIG  HAUL.  273 

"Yes,  and  we  ought  to  do  it,"  replied  the  latter. 
"  That's  only  two  hundrad  and  fifty  quintals  a  month  for 
the  four  months  of  the  season.  Three  boats  and  a  dory 
ought  to  do  that,  I  should  think." 

"  Well,  hardly,"  said  Mr.  Cooper ;  "  but  if  the  fishing 
is  good  all  the  season,  we  ought  to  get  well  on  toward 
that  amount.  Let  me  see ;  say  the  three  boats  average 
three-quarters  full  twice  a  day,  which  they  can  easily  do 
if  there  are  any  fish  about.  The  larger  boat  will  hold 
ten,  the  two  smaller  about  seven  quintals  each ;  that  will 
be  thirty-six  quintals  a  day.  No,  no ;  we  can't  catch 
thirty  nor  twenty-five ;  if  we  catch  twenty  we  shall  be 
doing  well.  Yes,  Mr.  Bemis,  if  there  are  any  fish  at  all 
here,  we  must  toe  the  mark  at  one  thousand,  sure." 

The  boys,  having  got  their  lines,  and  reached  as  near 
their  former  fishing-ground  as  they  could,  now  began  to 
fish  again,  and  soon  had  the  good  fortune  to  strike  "  good 
ground,"  as  the  mate  called  it ;  for  they  continued  dur- 
ing the  next  hour  to  haul  in  the  fish,  though  most  of 
them  were  much  smaller  than  the  one  they  had  first 
caught.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Mr.  Bemis  called  out 
again  : 

"  Well,  boys,  how  many  quintals  ?  " 

"I  guess  we've  got  half  a  one,"  sung  out  Freddie,  haul- 
ing in  a  big  cod  at  the  same  time. 

"Oh,  yes,  nearly  two-thirds,"  added  Allie,  following 
suit  with  another. 

"  We  can  more  than  cover  the  bottom  of  the  boat  any- 
way," said  John,  bringing  in  still  another  fish. 

"  You  must  have  some  twenty  or  thirty  fish,"  remarked 
Mr.  Bemis,  laughing. 

"  I  guess  we  have,"  shouted  Freddie  j  "  it's  nearer  one 
hun  — " 


274  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Sh-sh-s h,"  Put  in  Allie ;  "  don't  tall  him  how  many  it 
is  until  we  get  a  boat  load.  I  believe  we  can  fish  as  well 
as  the  men  can,  though  my  fingers  are  terribly  cut  up, 
and  smart  like  everything  with  the  salt  water." 

"  How  deep  is  the  water,  boys  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Cooper. 

"  Oh,  about  ten  fathoms,"  replied  Freddie. 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  Mr.  Cooper  remarked.  "  You'll 
only  catch  small  fish,  then,  though  you  may  get  a  good 
many  of  them.  I'm  glad  the  fish  are  so  near  shore,"  he 
added,  aside,  to  Mr.  Bemis. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  latter.  "We  seem  to  be 
pretty  fortunate  all  'round.  Perhaps  our  venture  will 
turn  out  better  than  we  expected." 

"  I  hope  so,"  was  all  that  Mr.  Cooper  remarked. 

Still  the  boys  continued  their  fishing,  in  spite  of  their 
sore  and  swollen  hands  and  fingers.  The  sport  was  too 
novel  to  be  easily  given  up,  and  it  was  even  difficult  to 
get  them  to  come  home  at  dinner  time,  so  absorbed  had 
they  become  in  their  work. 

"  Come  to  dinner,  boys,"  cried  Mr.  Bemis  ;  "  you  must 
have  caught  your  quintal  and  earned  your  dinner  by  this 
time.  We've  got  all  the  goods  out  down  to  the  salt  bags 
and  wood,  and  we're  going.  Come  on ;  hurry  up." 

The  boys  reluctantly  pulled  up  their  lines  and  were 
soon  rowing  towards  the  schooner. 

"  Ship  ahoy,"  cried  one  of  the  sailors,  laughing ;  "  give 
us  a  line,  and  we'll  tow  yer." 

The  boys,  at  that  moment,  appeared  around  the  angle 
of  the  rocks. 

"  Whew ! "  cried  the  mate,  and  began  to  whistle ;  while 
Mr.  Bemis  and  all  the  sailors  crowded  around  the  boys. 

"  This  looks  like  old  times,"  cried  Peters,  rubbing  his 
hands  together.  "  If  them  youngsters  can  do  that,  we 


A  BIG  HAUL.  275 

can  double  it,  if  not  more,"  he  continued.  "  When  I  was 
on  the  banks  —  " 

"  Never  mind  the  banks  now,"  said  Mr.  Cooper ;  "  let's 
take  these  loads  ashore  and  go  to  dinner." 

When  they  reached  the  wharf,  Mr.  Ready  was  there  to 
meet  them. 

"  Heighty-teighty ;  hoighty-toighty ! "  remarked  that 
gentleman,  when  he  saw  the  dory  over  half  full  of  fish. 
"  You've  earned  your  dinners  for  a  week,  boys,"  shouted 
he,  swinging  his  cap  over  his  head,  and  running  up  to 
the  house  in  search  of  Mr.  Benton,  to  impart  the  good 
news  of  "  plenty  fish  in  the  bay." 

Directly  after  dinner  the  boys,  assisted  by  Mr.  Ready, 
constructed  a  rough  wooden  bench  on  the  end  of  the 
wharf,  to  serve  as  a  cleaning  board  for  their  fish,  and 
then  rowed  to  the  schooner  for  a  bag  of  salt. 

By  the  time  they  had  returned,  Mr.  Ready  had  cleared 
a  space  in  the  shed  next  the  door  at  the  wharf  end,  to  lay 
the  fish  after  they  were  cleaned,  and  also  boarded  up  the 
end  of  the  wharf,  next  the  water,  and  just  back  of  the 
cleaning  board,  for  a  trough  to  throw  the  fish  into.  At 
high  tide  the  boats  were  within  a  few  feet  of  the  top  of 
the  wharf,  but  at  low  tide  they  were  fully  eight  feet 
below.  The  men  would  be  obliged  to  toss  the  fish  from 
the  boat  to  the  wharf  by  means  of  pitchforks.  The 
bench  or  cleaning  board  had  a  small  square  hole  in  it, 
made  near  the  middle,  beneath  which  was  placed  a  barrel 
to  receive  the  livers  of  the  cod,  which  were  pushed  into 
it.  At  one  side,  nearly  below  where  the  "  header,"  as  he 
was  called,  stood,  a  hole  about  a  foot  square  was  cut  in 
the  wharf,  through  which  the  rejected  portions  fell  into 
the  water.  At  the  edge  of  the  table  where  this  man 
stood,  a  piece  of  flat  iron  had  been  nailed  down,  over 


276  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

which  to  press  the  fish,  in  severing  the  head  from  the 
body.  The  mate  had  procured  two  knives  from  the 
vessel,  which  he  gave  to  the  boys  when  they  had  gone 
after  the  salt,  and  now,  toward  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon, they  were  all  equipped  for  work. 

"Come  now,  boys,"  shouted  Mr.  Ready,  throwing  his 
coat  into  one  corner,  "  do  as  I  do." 

Mr.  Ready  then  took  a  meal  sack,  and,  after  having  cut 
it  into  four  pieces,  each  tied  a  piece  about  his  waist. 
"Now  we  will  learn  the  codfish  business." 

By  Mr.  Ready's  orders,  Freddie  then  got  into  the  boat 
and  began,  with  a  narrow-tined,  long-handled  pitchfork, 
tossing  the  fish  into  the  trough  on  the  wharf.  As  the 
fish  came  up,  Allie,  directed  by  Mr.  Ready,  would  grasp 
each  by  the  head,  putting  the  thumb  and  middle  finger 
in  each  eye,  and,  laying  the  fish  on  the  corner  of  the 
table,  press  the  head  downward  so  that  the  thick  muscle 
of  the  throat  bulged  out  and  upwards,  and  then,  with  a 
stroke  of  his  knife,  which  was  short,  tapering  to  a  point, 
and  sharp  on  both  edges,  sever  this  muscle ;  and  with 
another  single  or  double  stroke  slit  down  the  belly  to  the 
vent,  and  pass  the  fish  over  to  the  next  man.  As  the 
fishes  were  all  small,  John  took  this  place,  and,  directed 
as  the  other  boys  had  been,  by  Mr.  Ready,  he  first  sepa- 
rated the  liver  from  the  fish,  giving  it  a  push  toward  the 
hole  in  the  table,  from  whence  it  fell  into  the  barrel,  and 
then  gathering  the  insides  together  he  held  them  with 
the  fish's  head  over  the  iron  on  the  side  of  the  table,  and 
shoved  with  both  hands  until  he  had  separated  the  head 
from  the  body;  then  he  passed  the  latter  on  to  Mr. 
Ready,  while  the  head  and  entrails  fell  through  the  hole 
in  the  wharf  to  the  water  below.  Mr.  Ready  then  cut 
out  the  backbone  with  another  sharp  knife,  and  threw 


A   BIG  HAUL.  277 

the  fish  into  a  box  provided  with  two  long  pieces  of  nar- 
row "board,  fastened  securely  to  each  side,  which  served 
for  a  hand-barrow. 

"  Here  we  go,  boys  !  keep  track  of  the  number.  How 
many  are  there  now  ?  " 

"One,"  laughed  Allie,  as  Mr.  Ready  threw  the  first 
fish  into  the  box. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  laughed  Mr.  Ready,  "  one.  There  now,  Mr. 
Header,  you  can  begin  to  keep  count." 

"  Who  are  you  calling  '  header '  ?  "  laughed  John,  tug- 
ging away  manfully  at  the  head  of  the  big  fish  that  he 
had  caught  in  the  morning. 

"Well,  anybody  can  keep  count;  just  give  a  little 
mark  on  the  board  and  cross  every  four  for  the  fifth ; 
then  leave  a  little  space  between  every  five.  There  you 
are ! " 

Thus  the  work  progressed,  until  the  last  fish,  the  one 
hundred  and  eighty-sixth,  was  dressed. 

The  boxes,  as  they  had  become  full,  were  taken  into 
the  shed  and  emptied.  Now  that  all  the  fish  were  fin- 
ished, Mr.  Ready  began  to  pile  them.  He  laid  them  in 
two  double  rows  along  the  side  of  the  shed  for  a  distance 
of  about  ten  feet.  Each  row  was  laid,  the  head  of  one 
fish  to  the  tail  of  the  other,  with  the  fleshy  parts  upper- 
most. When  the  first  layer  was  completed,  plenty  of  salt 
was  sprinkled  over  it  and  another  pile  begun.  The  fishes 
made  a  little  over  two  layers.  These,  well  salted,  were 
covered  over  with  clean  boards,  and  the  party  hurried  to 
the  water's  edge  to  wash  the  dirt  and  slime  from  their 
hands. 

"  Now  we  must  rig  a  pump  on  the  wharf  so  that  we 
can  wash  it  down,  and  we  shall  be  all  right  for  an- 
other mess.  When  we  get  into  the  business,  as  we  shall 


278  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

by  and  by,  we  must  rig  one  of  our  small  nets  for  bait, 
and  then  go  bait  hunting  every  night  for  the  next  day's 
fishing.  But  we  are  getting  ahead  too  fast,  boys;  too 
fast  altogether  for  '  shipwrecked  mariners ; ' "  said  Mr. 
Beady. 

All  the  while  the  boys  had  been  at  work  the  crew  were 
landing  the  rest  of  the  stores,  and  the  goods  from  the 
forward  part  of  the  schooner.  The  cabin  was  still  full  of 
water,  and  everything  there  was  soaked;  but,  even  as 
Allie  had  prophesied,  the  stern  of  the  vessel  had  at  last 
risen  above  the  water,  and  still  continued  to  rise  as  the 
weight  was  removed  from  the  hold.  One  hundred  bags 
of  salt,  each  of  them  a  little  larger  than  an  ordinary 
meal  bag,  had  been  carried  on  shore ;  two  real  "  American 
barges  "  and  one  "  Novy  "  or  Nova  Scotia  barge,  launched 
in  good  shape,  and  rigged,  with  several  grappling  irons, 
and  a  host  of  other  material ;  to  say  nothing  of  several 
boxes  of  dry  goods  and  small  groceries,  successfully 
stored  on  the  wharf.  A  big  box  of  books,  which  Mr. 
Benton  had  bought  at  Mr.  Ready's  suggestion,  was 
loaded  into  one  of  the  boats ;  and  still  another,  of  lines, 
hooks,  sinkers,  twine  for  netting,  and  even  two  or  three 
small  nets,  carefully  secured.  In  fact,  everything  had 
been  cleared  from  the  hold  of  the  vessel,  save  the  ma- 
terials for  a  small,  neat  frame  house,  which  had  been 
made  on  shore,  by  an  experienced  carpenter,  and  care- 
fully shipped  under  his  directions. 

The  next  day  was  to  be  devoted  to  removing  these, 
also;  and  then  trying  to  remove  the  contents  of  the 
cabin. 

The  mate,  now  that  the  stern  of  the  vessel  was  above 
water,  rigged  a  pump  and  began  to  pump  out  the  water 
from  the  cabin.  It  was  slow  work,  but  great  was  the 


A  BIG  HAUL.  279 

joy  of  the  boys  when,  a  little  later  they  visited  the 
vessel  and  noted  the  changes. 

"  There,"  exclaimed  Allie,  eyeing  the  schooner  with  the 
air  of  a  seaman ;  "  I  think  I  can  eat  my  supper  to-night 
with  a  very  good  grace  indeed.  I've  earned  it." 

"  So  have  I,"  shouted  each  in  turn. 

Half  an  hour  later  six  very  tired  men  and  three  boys 
were  climbing  up  the  path  from  the  wharf  to  the  house. 

Eva  was  jumping  and  clapping  her  hands,  and  calling  to 
Freddie  to  come  and  see  her  flower-garden ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Benton  stood  in  the  doorway  to  greet  the  party,  and  the 
former  spoke  a  few  words  of  commendation  to  the  men. 

In  the  house,  too,  considerable. had  been  done.  The 
walls  had  been  neatly  papered  with  some  rolls  of  cheap, 
clean  wall  paper ;  the  floor  had  been  half  carpeted  with 
a  piece  of  rough  straw  matting ;  and  plain  wooden  chairs, 
enough  to  seat  all  hands,  if  necessary,  together  with  a 
cheap  rocker,  all  of  which  had  been  bought  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Mr.  Ready,  who  assured  Mr.  Benton  that  every 
one  of  them  would  "  trade,"  were  arranged  about  the 
room  for  the  use  of  anybody  who  might  need  them. 

Mr.  Ready  had  completed  the  bunks  "  up  aloft "  before 
dinner,  and  Max  had  also  done  a  job  of  carpentering  for 
himself,  by  placing  shelves  in  the  corner  of  the  room, 
upon  which  to  put  the  dishes. 

"  A  very  orderly  household,"  laughed  Mr.  Ready,  rub- 
bing his  hands.  "  I  am  afraid  that  we  are  pretty  nearly 
ready  for  a  storm." 

"Storm!"  echoed  Allie;  "see  how  light  it  is  in  the 
sky." 

"  Yes,"  continued  Mr.  Ready,  "  and  that  light  means 
fog,  if  it  means  anything." 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  "let  it  come,  if  it  must." 


280  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR, 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOW    THE     BOYS     MADE    A    FOGGY    DAY    A     VERY 
PLEASANT     ONE. 

r  I  iHE  next  morning,  as  Mr.  Ready  had  predicted,  every- 
-L  thing  was  enveloped  in  a  thick  fog.  It  was  so  dense 
as  entirely  to  shut  out  the  sight  of  the  shed  on  the  wharf 
from  those  at  the  house.  The  air  seemed  close  and 
sticky,  and  everything  damp  to  the  touch.  Work  could 
not  be  thought  of  under  such  circumstances,  so  the  men 
lay  idle  all  day,  and  amused  themselves  as  best  they 
could.  Some  followed  the  stream  to  the  pond,  and  tried 
their  luck  at  catching  trout.  The  mate  and  Mr.  Ready 
spent  most  of  their  time  in  the  shed  sorting  and  ar- 
ranging the  Sea  Foam's  cargo.  While  the  latter  were 
thus  engaged,  the  boys,  with  their  hooks  and  lines,  took 
possession  of  the  wharf,  and  began  to  try  their  luck  with 
tomcods,  flounders,  and  sculpins,  which  were  lying  close 
by  in  scores. 

"  I  declare ! "  exclaimed  one  of  the  boys,  "  this  is  dull 
work !  I  wish  we  could  get  up  a  sensation." 

"  Set  the  house  on  fire ! "  laughed  Freddie. 

"  I  say,  boys  ! "  said  John.  "  It  seems  too  bad  to  let 
our  things  lie  in  that  wet  old  cabin  all  this  time.  I  move 
we  start  off  and  rescue  them,  or  at  least  attempt  to." 

"  Yes ;  but  we  can't  get  out  there  in  all  this  fog  "  re- 
plied Allie. 

"  That's  true ;  but  it  does  seem  wicked  to  let  my  gun 


A   FOGGY  DAY  MADE  PLEASANT.  281 

lie  there,  six  feet  under  water,  for  so  many  days,  and  not 
attempt  a  rescue,"  said  John ;  "  what  can  we  do,  boys  ?  " 

"  Form  a  society  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  cod- 
fish ! "  remarked  Freddie,  facetiously,  as  Allie  drew  in  his 
line  with  two  small  tomcods,  one  hooked  directly  in  the 
belly ;  and  the  other  having  swallowed  the  bait  and  hook 
both,  necessitated  cutting  him  open  to  extract  the  hook. 

Allie  caught  up  the  fish  that  had  been  hooked  by  the 
belly,  and  threw  it  at  Freddie  with  such  good  aim  that  it 
hit  him  squarely  on  the  head  and  knocked  his  hat  off 
into  the  water.  Fortunately  there  was  a  boat  hook  lying 
near,  and  the  hat,  which  was  a  light  felt  one,  was  soon 
recovered,  dripping  wet,  and  replaced  on  the  head  of  the 
owner  again,  though  somewhat  out  of  shape. 

"I'll  pay  you  for  that,  one  of  these  days,  Allie  Ben- 
ton,"  said  Fred,  with  a  good-natured  jerk  of  the  head; 
"you  see  if  I  don't." 

Mr.  Eeady  now  came  out  of  the  shed  and  proposed 
to  the  boys  to  go  lobstering,  a  proposition  which  was 
heartily  accepted. 

Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Eeady  each  procured  a 
short,  round,  rather  thick  alder  cane,  and  fastened  a  large 
cod  hook  to  the  end  of  it,  so  that  the  hook  reached 
about  an  inch  beyond  the  end  of  the  stick.  Mr.  Ready 
then  whittled,  from  a  piece  of  shingle,  a  number  of  small 
pegs,  some  thirty  or  more,  and  proceeding  to  fill  his 
pockets  with  them  and  a  long  piece  of  stout  twine,  he 
called  out : 

"  All  ready,  boys,  come  on  !  " 

The  boys  had  taken  off  their  shoes  and  stockings  and 
rolled  up  their  trowsers,  and  were  soon  following  Mr. 
Keady  along  the  beach  of  sand  toward  the  rocks  at  the 
head  of  the  bay. 


282  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

The  tide  was  quite  low,  and  the  party  could  easily  walk 
around  the  base  of  several  high  cliffs,  which  otherwise 
they  would  have  been  obliged  to  climb.  The  water  was 
very  cold,  and  the  rocks  hurt  their  feet,  but  they  perse- 
vered and  tramped  on. 

At  one  time  they  frightened  a  flock  of  large  birds, 
which  were  wading  some  distance  out  in  the  water,  just 
around  a  point  of  land  ahead  of  them.  They  flew  off 
with  a  loud  whistle  "  qu,  qu,  qu ! " 

"What  are  those  birds,"  cried  Freddie. 

"  They  are  what  we  call '  Quebec  Curlew,' "  replied  Mr. 
Ready. 

"  Don't  we  call  them  Golden  Plovers  ?  "  asked  Allie. 
"I  think  they  are  the  same." 

"Very  likely!"  laughed  Mr.  Ready;  "I  never  knew 
why  they  called  them  '  Quebec  Curlew.' " 

"I'd  call  them  almost  anything  if  I  had  my  gun," 
said  John. 

The  birds  could  occasionally  be  heard,  and  were  in 
sight  across  the  bay. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  Allie.  "  One  of  us  ought  to  go  home 
and  get  the  mate's  old  smooth  bore  musket,  and  perhaps 
we  might  get  a  shot  at  them." 

"  Never  mind  the  gun,  now,  boys,  we  are  going  after 
something  better  than  Quebec  Curlew,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

After  about  half  an  hour's  hard  tramping  they  reached 
a  cove  near  the  head  of  the  bay,  Here  a  small  stream 
entered  the  salt  water,  trickling  along  a  bed  of  rocks, 
covered  with  mosses  and  ferns  of  most  delicate  varieties 
and  forms. 

A  little  way  out,  in  the  water,  quantities  of  huge 
stones  and  small  pebbles,  overgrown  with  kelp, .were 
thickly  scattered.  Mr.  Ready  made  a  run  for  a  big  rock, 


A   FOGGY  DAY  MADE  PLEASANT.  283 

near  by,  and  began  vigorously  plunging  his  gaff  beneath 
the  water  and  under  the  rock. 

"  Bother  on  you,  come  here ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready, 
in  a  half  vexed  tone  of  voice. 

The  boys  immediately  ran  up  to  where  he  was  and 
asked  what  he  wanted. 

"  I'm  not  talking  to  you ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  "  I'm 
talking  "  —  here  he  began  another  vigorous  punching  and 
poking  with  his  gaff  beneath  the  rock  —  "  to  this  lobster." 

From  leaning  down  so  far,  and  poking  so  much,  Mr. 
Ready  began  to  grow  red  in  the  face,  but  presently  he  drew 
in  triumph  an  immense  lobster  from  beneath  the  rock. 

"Here,"  he  shouted,  "punch  all  around  these  rocks  and 
in  the  water,  and  you'll  soon  find  plenty." 

The  boys  followed  Mr.  Ready's  advice.  Every  nook 
and  corner  was  searched  and  probed  with  the  four  gaffs, 
and  several  good-sized  lobsters  were  the  result.  Each  of 
them  had  their  claws  plugged  —  that  is,  the  little  pegs 
that  Mr.  Ready  had  taken  with  him  were  inserted  at  the 
soft  spot  at  the  base  of  each  claw,  in  front,  so  that  those 
formidable  weapons  were  rendered  useless. 

The  lobsters  were  not  very  plentiful ;  but  soon  there 
was  a  pile  of  between  thirty  and  forty,  all  plugged  and 
strung,  and  divided  into  four  parts,  and  at  length,  when 
Mr.  Ready  gave  the  word  for  home,  each  shouldered  his 
share  and  off  they  started. 

Eva  was  in  a  perfect  ecstasy  of  delight  at  the  sight  of 
the  spoils  taken.  Max,  too,  was  glad,  and  soon  the  big 
boiler  was  filled  with  fresh  salt  water  and  thirty-seven 
large  fellows  were  packed  into  it  to  be  boiled. 

"Twenty  minutes  after  the  water  boils!"  sang  out 
Mr.  Ready. 

"  Oh !    you  can't  tell  me  anything  about  lobsters  ! " 


284  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

shouted  Max,  in  reply,  as  Mr.  Ready  hurried  toward  the 
shed. 

"  I  think  it's  too  bad,  to  put  them  in  that  hot  water 
alive  ! "  said  Eva  to  Max. 

"  You  go  away,  and  come  back  in  five  minutes ! " 
laughed  Max,  "and  if  they  are  alive  then  we  will  take 
them  out." 

"  Then  it'll  be  too  late,  they'll  all  be  dead !  " 

"I  know  it!"  said  Max,  laughing  again,  "that's  the 
way  I  want  them  to  be  ! " 

Just  then  Eva  ran  to  the  door  to  see  Fred,  who  was 
calling  her,  and  Max  went  on  with  his  work  of  boiling 
the  lobsters. 

"  Well,  Fred !  What  do  you  want  ?  "  said  Eva,  com- 
ing to  the  door,  near  which  he  stood,  barefooted,  with  his 
trowsers  rolled  up,  wet  and  muddy,  the  perfect  picture 
of  a  tired,  dirty,  hungry  boy. 

"  I  want  a  piece  of  pie  and  some  doughnuts  and 
cheese,  or  something  good  to  eat,"  said  Freddie. 

"  Look  here  !  "  exclaimed  Eva,  catching  hold  of  Fred's 
button  hole  and  whispering  in  his  ear;  "you  go  and 
lie  right  down,  and  take  a  nap ;  you're  all  tired  out." 

"  I've  a  great  mind  to,"  said  Fred. 

"  Do ! "  cried  Eva.  "  You  go,  and  I'll  bring  you  some- 
thing." 

Freddie  pulled  down  his  trowsers'  legs,  brushed  the 
mud  off,  and  going  into  the  house  threw  himself  down 
upon  the  couch :  a  few  minutes  later,  Eva  brought  him 
a  couple  of  doughnuts  and  a  large  piece  of  cheese,  and 
even  while  he  was  eating  them  he  fell  fast  asleep.  Half 
an  hour  later  he  woke  up  greatly  refreshed,  laughed  at 
the  idea  of  his  falling  asleep  in  the  daytime,  finished 
eating  his  doughnuts  and  cheese,  and  ran  out  to  see  what 
the  other  boys  were  doing. 


A   FOGGY  DAY  MADE  PLEASANT.  285 

He  found  the  boys  in  the  shed,  with  Mr.  Keady  and 
the  mate,  engaged  very  earnestly  in  netting  a  trout  net. 
That  is,  the  boys  were  netting  by  turns  upon  it;  while  the 
mate  himself  was  completing  a  small  hand  net  for  catch- 
ing bait  with.  It  was  a  common,  small  meshed  dip  net, 
and  Mr;  Cooper  was  fastening  it  upon  a  long  wooden 
handle,  jointed  in  the  middle,  that  had  been  brought 
with  them  for  this  purpose  from  Boston. 

The  trout  net  was  progressing  slowly.  It  was  to  be 
fifteen  fathoms,  or  ninety  feet  long,  and  a  fathom  wide, 
the  meshes  being  three  inches  wide.  John  was  working 
away  at  it  steadily,  and  had  already  completed  nearly  a 
fathom. 

"We  shall  put  you  all  at  work,  by  and  by,"  said  Mr. 
Cooper,  as  Fred  walked  into  the  shed.  "  You've  always 
wanted  to  earn  your  own  living ;  now  you'll  have  to  do 
it.  Castaway  boys  have  to  work  as  well  as  the  men, 
don't  they,  Captain  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed !  "  cried  Mr.  Eeady.  "  We  have  all  got 
to  work  now  ! " 

The  novelty  of  the  situation  was  such  as  to  render 
the  boys  quite  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  they  were 
really  in  a  position  where  work  was  not  needed,  or  ex- 
pected from  them.  They  did  not  realize  but  what  they 
were  on  a  desert  island,  a  thousand  miles  away  from  the 
main  land,  and  supposed  their  services  were  required  as 
much  now  as  if  the  latter  event  had  really  happened. 
Mr.  Ready  was  business  man  enough  to  see  this,  and 
thought  it  best  to  impose  upon  their  good  nature.  Mr. 
Benton  saw  the  same  aspect  of  the  case  and,  for  the 
good  of  the  boys,  allowed  the  matter  to  pass,  knowing 
well  that  it  would  "  do  'em  good  to  rough  it  a  little,"  as 
he  had  said. 


286  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"We  will  do  our  share,  then,"  said  Fred,  answering 
the  mate's  assertion,  "  you  need  have  no  fear  for  us ! " 

"I  will  set  you  to  work  soon  enough,  my  boy,  never 
fear ! "  replied  Mr.  Cooper. 

"Give  me  another  net  to  make,  then,"  said  Fred, 
always  jealous  of  his  ability  to  do,  when  placed  in  rivalry 
with  others,  and  especially  with  his  brothers.  "  Give  me 
another  net  to  make,  and  I  will  finish  it  before  they  do 
theirs,  at  any  rate  ! " 

The  mate  chuckled  to  himself  as  he  saw  at  once 
means  to  an  end  placed  before  him,  so  he  replied : 

"All  right,  we  need  all  we  can  get.  I  will  set  you 
each  to  work,  at  once,  and  the  one  that  finishes  first  shall 
go  fishing  with  me  in  my  boat ;  eh !  Mr.  Ready  ?  " 

"Very  good  idea,"  replied  Mr.  Ready,  nodding  his 
head  and  twinkling  his  eyes. 

The  boys  caught  the  spirit  at  once,  and  soon  all  three 
of  them  were  at  work,  each  as  if  his  life  depended  upon 
it ;  though  John  was  considerably  ahead,  it  remained  to 
be  seen  how  long  he  would  keep  ahead,  as  he  was  the 
slowest  worker  among  them. 

"The  system  of  reward  and  punishment  works  well," 
laughed  Mr.  Ready,  as  he  finished  stacking  all  the  bags 
of  salt  in  one  corner  of  the  shed  together. 

"  Only  keep  it  working,"  was  Mr.  Cooper's  reply. 

The  manner  in  which  the  boys  proceeded  with  their 
work  was  somewhat  as  follows : 

They  first  drove  a  large  nail  into  the  wall,  at  a  proper 
distance  from  the  floor,  some  three  feet  or  more,  then 
while  one  of  the  boys  held  a  wooden  stick  about  a  foot 
from  the  nail  the  other  fastened  an  end  of  a  ball  of  stout 
trout  twine  to  the  nail,  and  passed  the  twine  succes- 
sively around  the  nail  and  the  stick  until  about  thirty 


A   FOGGY  DAY  MADE  PLEASANT.  287 

loops  were  made.  The  working  instruments  were  a 
needle  and  a  card.  The  needle  was  flat,  eight  inches 
long,  conical  at  the  top,  and  the  bottom  concave  for 
about  an  inch;  the  inside  of  the  upper  third  was  also 
hollow,  saving  a  small  needle  shaped  piece,  running  up 
in  the  center  to  within  half  an  inch  of  the  top.  The 
card  was  a  simple  flat  piece  of  wood,  as  wide  as  the 
meshes  were  to  be  long,  and  long  enough  to  overlap  the 
last  mesh  by  about  half  an  inch.  Each  needle,  and  there 
were  several  for  each  person,  was  wound  full  of  twine, 
the  turns  running  around  the  inner  point  of  the  needle, 
and  over  the  concave  end.  In  netting,  the  needle  was 
thrust  through  the  loop  above,  the  twine  brought  over 
the  card,  to  which  it  was  tightly  drawn,  and  a  knot  made 
by  drawing  the  needle  between  the  threads  and  through 
a  loop  in  its  own  thread,  and  the  whole  drawn  tightly 
—  "but,"  as  the  mate  had  said,  after  showing  the  boys 
how  it  was  done,  "  now  do  it  yourselves,  boys !  Do  it 
yourselves  !  'tis  the  best  way  to  find  out.  And  netting 
is  very  pretty,  easy  work  when  you  once  know  how." 

So  the  boys  did  it  themselves,  and  it  was  really  mar- 
velous how  fast  the  trout  net  grew. 

"  I  say,  boys ! "  said  Allie.  "  Let's  make  us  each  a 
hammock,  when  we  have  finished  our  nets;  anything 
will  be  more  comfortable  than  those  close  bunks  way  up 
in  the  loft." 

"  Will  there  be  time  enough  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"We  can  easily  find  out,"  replied  Allie.  "I  say,  Mr. 
Cooper,  can't  we  have  time  enough  to  make  us  each  a 
hammock  after  we  have  finished  our  nefs." 

"  Oh,  yes !  plenty  of  time,  and  to  spare ;  trade's  dull 
just  at  present,"  he  added,  rather  dryly. 

The  boys  stared,  and  Mr.  Ready  laughed,  at  which  the 


288  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

boys  stared  all  the  more,  and  wondered  what  trade  he 
referred  to.  Then  they  hoorayed  for  Mr.  Cooper,  at 
least  John  and  Allie  did,  while  Fred  worked  all  the 
faster. 

"  That  boy's  cute ! "  remarked  Mr.  Cooper  to  Mr. 
Ready;  "see  how  he  takes  advantage  of  every  little 
thing  in  his  favor  ?  He'll  have  his  net  done  first,  I  will 
wager  ten  quintals  of  codfish." 

"  They  are  all  as  good  boys  as  ever  lived,"  said  Mr. 
Ready,  "and  this  castaway  business  will  be  the  making 
of  them ;  it  will  teach  them  to  think  and  act  for  them- 
selves." 

Mr.  Cooper  turned,  but  muttered  something  to  himself 
about  Fred's  being  the  "  boy  for  a'  that." 

The  fog  still  hung  on.  There  were  no  signs  of  rain  or 
a  change  of  wind,  and  so  the  shadows  deepened  and 
evening  approached.  Soon  the  horn  summoned  all  to 
supper,  and  Eva  appeared  at  the  door  to  greet  the 
boys,  and  especially  Fred,  who  was  undisguisedly  her 
favorite. 

"Hasn't  this  been  a  disagreeable  day?"  was  the  re- 
mark of  that  young  lady,  as  they  all  appeared  at  the 
door  of  the  house.  "  It's  been  as  dull  and  wearisome  as 
if  we  were  really  on  a  barren  island." 

"  Yes,  indeed ! "  remarked  Mr.  Benton,  just  coming  in, 
"and  as  profitless." 

"  Always  looking  for  profit,  Mr.  Benton !  do  come  and 
sit  down  for  five  minutes,"  remarked  Mrs.  Benton,  com- 
ing out  of  her  room  toward  the  group  approaching  the 
door. 

"  Certainly,  madam !  "  graciously  remarked  Mr.  Benton, 
bowing  and  waving  his  hand  in  a  South  African  or  In- 
dian salaam.  "  Certainly,  madam !  And  for  twenty-five 


A   FOGGY  DAY  MADE  PLEASANT.  289 

minutes,  as  soon  as  Max  has  finished  replenishing  the 
table." 

For  supper  Max  had  stewed  a  huge  dish  of  dried  apples 
and  baked  an  extra  amount  of  new  bread. 

"If  we  only  had  some  milk/'  said  Allie. 

"  I  can  get  you  some  milk,"  said  Fred,  who  seemed 
especially  inclined  to  be  facetious  just  then. 

"  How  !  where  from  ?  "  spoke  up  Allie. 

"  From  the  milk-weed,  how's  that  ?  "  laughed  Fred, 
much  to  Allie's  disgust. 

"I  say,  Fred,"  said  Allie,  "have  you  been  eating  any 
pickles,  lately  ?  " 

"  No  ! "  said  Fred,  so  earnestly  that  everybody  smiled. 
"  Are  there  any  here  ?  " 

"  Not  here,  that  I  know  of,"  replied  Allie,  "  but  didn't 
you  eat  four  big  ones  the  day  the  molasses  barrel  fell  on 
the  pickle  and  flour  barrel  ?  " 

"  Yes  !  but  what  of  it  ?  "  returned  Freddie,  still  so 
earnestly  that  everybody  laughed  again. 

"That  accounts  for  your  sharp  points,  to-night,  I 
guess." 

"  I  owe  you  two,  now,  Allie  Benton !  and  jrou'd  better 
look  out  or  I'll  pay  them  both  off  together." 

At  length  Max  announced  that  supper  was  ready,  and 
all  sat  down  to  enjoy  it.  A  large  dish  of  delicious  fish 
and  lobster  was  at  each  end  of  the  table,  and  great  was 
the  astonishment  and  delight  of  those  not  already  in  the 
secret,  at  such  a  surprise. 

"Well,  wife!"  said  Mr.  Benton.  "This  is  vastly 
superior  to  the  sea-shore  at  home,  I  assure  you.  I  won- 
der why  more  people  never  think  of  coming  out  to  some 
unfrequented  coast,  like  this,  and  spending  the  sum- 
mer ?  " 


290  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR, 

"  I  suppose  they  have  not  tried  it,  as  we  are  now  doing, 
and  really  are  not  aware  of  how  delightful  it  is,"  replied 
Mrs.  Beiiton. 

"  I  shall  strongly  recommend  this  sort  of  summer  pleas- 
uring,  when  I  return,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  taking  an  un- 
commonly large  mouthful  of  lobster. 

Fred  nudged  Allie,  who  was  also  helping  himself  boun- 
tifully, and  at  the  same  time  signified  his  assent  also  in 
a  quite  audible  whisper. 

In  the  midst  of  their  repast  the  door  opened  and  Mr. 
Taylor  stepped  in  with  a  big  string  of  trout  which  he 
had  caught  in  the  pond. 

"  Here,  Max !  here's  something  for  breakfast  to-mor- 
row. Now  for  some  supper,  as  quick  as  ever  I  can  have 
it." 

Mr.  Taylor  Avent  off  to  wash,  and  left  the  trout  with 
Max,  who  hung  them  upon  a  nail,  just  inside  of  the  door, 
and  then  returned. 

Mr.  Taylor  also  returned,  in  a  moment,  and  was  soon 
attacking  the  lobster. 

"  How  fresh  and  most  excellent  this  tastes,  Max,"  said 
Mr.  Taylor.  "  Who  got  them  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Heady  and  the  boys,  sir !  "  replied  Max. 

"  I  think  we  have  all  improved  our  time  since  our  ter- 
rible shipwreck,"  laughed  Mr.  Taylor.  "/  really  find 
our  life  for  the  past  few  days  quite  endurable.  I  don't 
much  object  to  the  prospect  for  the  summer,  I  assure 
you ! " 

After  supper  Freddie  got  up  and  left  the  table  with 
the  rest  of  the  boys,  and  all  hastened  down  to  the  wharf, 
where  they  amused  themselves  fishing,  until  quite  late, 
several  large  tomcods  and  a  few  fair-sized  flounders  re- 
warding their  efforts. 


A  FOGG Y  DAY  MADE  PLEASANT.  291 

"  There ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  "  I'm  tired  enough  for 
to-day ;  I'm  going  to  '  bunk  in/  as  Mr.  Ready  calls  it,  and 
I  think  all  hands  had  better  do  the  same." 

As  all  seemed  to  agree  in  this  opinion,  they  wound  up 
their  fish  lines,  took  the  bait  off  the  hooks  and  threw  it 
into  the  water,  and  stored  them  all  away  in  the  shed. 
Then  they  gathered  up  their  fish,  put  them  in  a  bucket 
of  water,  washed  their  hands  and  started  towards  the 
house. 

"  Here,  Max !  here  is  something  for  you,"  said  Allie, 
as  he  handed  Max  the  pail. 

"  My  eye  ! "  exclaimed  Max.  "  What  shall  we  do  with 
so  many  things?  Lobster,  trout,  tomcods,  and  flounder 
for  breakfast ;  which  shall  we  have  ?  or  shall  we  have 
them  all  ?  " 

«  All,"  cried  John. 

"Yes,"  said  Max.  "All  it  is!  We'll  have  them  all, 
and  see  which  tastes  the  best." 

As  this  suited  the  boys,  exactly,  they  gave  a  hooray 
for  Max,  and  were  soon  off  to  bed.  A  very  little  later, 
and  the  rest  of  the  household  had  followed  them. 


292  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOW     THE     FOGGY    WEATHER     CLEARED     AT     LAST     BOTH 
INDOORS    AND    OUT. 

rTTFIUS  the  days  passed  in  quiet  succession.  Some- 
J-  times  it  was  pleasant  and  sometimes  it  was  stormy 
weather ;  sometimes  the  fog  set  in  for  a  week  at  a  time, 
rendering  it  impossible  for  the  men  to  work,  filling  the 
hearts  of  the  little  party  with  gloom,  and  giving  rise  to 
gloomy  thoughts  and  forebodings.  The  sunny  weather 
would  then  come  again  to  gladden  all  and  restore  nature 
and  heavy  spirits  to  freedom  and  joy  fulness. 

"  When  the  weather  is  fine  it  is  very,  very  fine ; 
And  when  it  is  bad  it  is  horrid,"  — 

so  Eva  sang  once  on  a  most  beautiful  morning. 

Meanwhile  the  men  had  pumped  the  vessel  dry,  and 
had  been  able  to  rescue,  though  in  a  more  or  less  damaged 
condition,  all  the  articles  in  the  cabin,  and  bring  them 
on  shore. 

The  clothes  were  soaked  out  in  fresh  water,  and  hung 
out  on  a  line  to  dry,  while  a  large  flat  stone,  just  in  front 
of  the  house,  was  covered  with  damaged  though  reclaim- 
able  articles,  that  air,  sun,  and  time  might  help  to  put 
them  in  a  fit  state  to  be  used  once  more. 

Eva,  who  was  fond  of  poetry,  came  out  to  the  door 
with  her  arms  full  of  clothes  to  hang  on  the  line,  sing- 
ing: 

"  It  chanced  to  be  our  washing-day,  . 

And  all  the  clothes  were  drying." 


HOW  THE   WEATHER   CLEARED  AT  LAST.     293 

Then  the  boys  were  busy  cleaning  up  their  guns,  and 
fishing  poles  and  lines,  and  all  their  "various  append- 
ages," as  Mr.  Taylor  termed  them  ;  while  even  Mr.  Taylor 
himself  deigned  to  turn  to  arid  help  to  the  best  of  his  abil- 
ity, —  though  he  confined  his  operations  chiefly  to  his  own 
trunk,  and  to  the  especial  care  of  drying  a  large  tin  box 
of  seidlitz  powders  and  a  huge  sponge ;  he  paid  Max  a 
dollar  to  wash  his  clothes  for  him.  It  was  fully  a  week 
before  everything  was  restored  to  a  condition  of  useful- 
ness, and  then  only  about  two-thirds  of  the  articles  were 
really  of  any  value.  The  boys'  powder  suffered  consid- 
erably, yet  as  it  had  been  in  two  tight  five-pound  tin  cans, 
but  little  water  had  penetrated  to  the  powder,  and  it  was 
soon  dried  by  exposure  on  papers  to  the  sun  for  a  short 
time.  The  shot  was  all  right,  the  caps  all  good,  but  the 
wads  were  very  nearly  ruined. 

At  length,  after  a  good  deal  of  care  and  painstaking, 
order  was  brought  out  of  confusion,  and  Captain  Heady 
laughed,  as  he  exclaimed:  . 

"  There,  there,  only  a  little  excitement  and  something 
to  occupy  the  time.  Order  out  of  chaos ;  order  out  of 
chaos  at  last." 

"  Certainly,"  added  Mr.  Benton ;  "  order  out  of  chaos 
at  last.  Mrs.  Benton,  it  is  very  annoying  that  the  little 
tobacco  that  I  ever  do  use  should  have  been  ruined ;  yes, 
positively  ruined  by  the  water." 

At  last  one  night  the  wind  began  to  blow,  and  the 
waves  to  dash  upon  the  beach.  At  first  only  as  a  gentle 
breeze,  and  a  continual  lap,  lap,  upon  the  stones  and 
rocks ;  then  it  increased  in  force  and  violence,  and 
soon  the  wind  was  howling  in  a  perfect  hurricane, 
while  louder  and  angrier  grew  the  dashing  of  the  water 
upon  the.  rocks.  Then  the  rain  descended  in  sudden 


294  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

gusts  and  flurries,  almost  with  the  force  of  small  hail- 
stones. 

The  men  had  gone  to  their  bunks  when  the  storm 
began  to  arise,  early  in  the  evening,  but  as  it  progressed, 
most  of  them  remained  awake  listening  to  the  fury  of 
the  tempest. 

"  The  last  of  the  Sea  Foam,  I  guess,"  said  Mr.  Ready 
to  Mr.  Cooper,  who  had  his  bunk  just  below  that  of  Mr. 
Ready,  on  the  same  side. 

"  She  won't  stand  much  of  this  weather,"  replied  Mr. 
Cooper ;  "  if  she  hasn't  gone  already,  she  soon  will  go." 

"It's  too  bad  to  lose  so  good  a  vessel,"  Mr.  Ready 
added ;  "  I  was  really  beginning  to  get  quite  attached 
to  her." 

"  You'd  be  more  so  if  you'd  been  in  her  and  over  her, 
and  sailed  nigh  on  to  ten  years  in  her,  in  storm  and  calm, 
summer  and  winter,  to  Newfoundland  and  the  West 
Indies." 

"  No  doubt  I  should ;  but  have  you  been  to  all  these 
places  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  I've  been  all  over  the  "West  Indies,  across 
the  water  twice,  around  the  Horn  once,  and  to  Iceland 
once." 

"Not  all  in  the  Sea  Foam?" 

"Oh,  no;  but  I've  been  all  over  the  West  Indies  in 
the  Sea  Foam,  and  around  Newfoundland  in  her  once." 

"You  must  tell  us  some  of  your  adventures,  some 
time,"  said  Mr.  Ready.  "I  am  sure  we  should  all  like 
to  hear  them." 

"Humph,"  growled  Mr.  Cooper,  "people  are  always 
more  ready  to  listen  than  to  talk ;  go  to  sleep,  I'm  going 
to  talk  no  more,"  and  the  mate  rolled  over  in  his  bunk, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  storm,  was  soon  snoring  vigorously. 


HOW  THE   WEATHER  CLEARED  AT  LAST.     295 

The  wind  howled  and  roared,  and  the  rain  came  down 
in  torrents  ;  the  storm  continued  all  night,  and  when  the 
sleepers  awoke  it  was  still  raging  furiously.  Dark  clouds 
everywhere,  with  rain  and  wind,  showed  that  the  tempest 
was  far  from  abating.  The  huge  waves  beat  against  the 
rocks  and  shore  with  relentless  fury.  There  were  several 
large  rocks  standing  near  the  turn  of  the  bay  and  a  little 
out  in  the  water ;  over  and  around  these  the  waves  dashed 
in  grand  sublimity ;  sometimes  they  would  cluster  about 
them,  eddying  in  and  around  and  between  them,  washing 
their  bases  and  sides ;  sometimes  they  would  rush  with 
a  swish  over  the  tops  of  the  lowest,  and  then  retreat  to 
let  the  water  drip  back  again;  and  sometimes  a  huge 
wave  or  line  of  waves  would  come  with  tremendous  force, 
and  dashing  against  them  throw  a  column  of  frothy, 
white  spray  high  over  their  tops  and  far  up  into  the  air, 
to  fall  back  in  spatters  on  both  rock  and  water.  The 
rocks  were  clearly  in  sight  of  the  windows,  and  Eva  sat 
and  watched  the  water,  as  in  mad  fury  or  in  a  moment  of 
comparative  calm,  it  played  over  these  rocky  sentinels. 

"I  declare,"  exclaimed  Eva,  after  a  pause  of  some 
moments,  during  which  she  intently  watched  the  water, 
"  how  grandly  it  dashes  over  those  rocks  ;  what  a  perfect 
billow  of  spray  it  throws  into  the  air." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  from  a  window  on  the  other 
side  of  the  room.  "  I  think  it  is  the  most  graceful  and 
beautiful  sight  that  I  have  ever  seen,  and  it  is  as  grand 
as  it  is  beautiful." 

"  But,  Mr.  Taylor,"  exclaimed  Eva,  "  where  is  the  Sea 
Foam  ?  I  don't  see  her  anywhere." 

"  That's  so,  Eva,"  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  in  some  surprise 
and  not  a  little  consternation.  "  I  wonder  I  never  thought 
of  her  before.  She  is  indeed  gone.  I  see  no  trace  of  her 


296  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

anywhere.  There  are  the  rocks  where  she  was,  but  either 
the  vessel  itself  has  sunk  or  broken  up  —  in  which  case 
we  shall  find  the  pieces  strewing  the  beach ;  or  she  has 
been  lifted  off  the  rocks  by  the  waves  and  drifted  to  sea. 
In  either  case  I  fear  we  shall  never  see  her  again." 

"Oh,  papa,"  cried  Eva,  as  Mr.  Benton  entered  the 
room ;  "  I  don't  see  the  Sea  Foam  anywhere,  and  Mr. 
Taylor  thinks  that  she  has  either  drowned,  or  smashed 
to  pieces,  or  floated  off  to  sea." 

Mr.  Benton  went  immediately  to  the  window  and  took 
a  long  look  in  the  direction  of  the  place  where  so  lately 
the  Sea  Foam  remained  wedged  within  its  rocky  clutches. 

"  I  am  not  surprised,  sir,"  to  Mr.  Taylor,  "  and  we  are 
now  left  to  our  own  resources.  I  have  been  expecting 
this,  sir.  I  have  been  expecting  this  for  some  time,  and 
now  that  it  has  come,  I  am  not  surprised,  and  we  are  pre- 
pared for  it.  I  repeat  it,  sir  —  we  are  prepared  for  it." 

While  they  were  all  looking  out  of  the  window,  the 
form  of  a  man  was  seen  coming  around  the  corner  and 
climbing  the  hill  towards  the  house.  He  wore  a  long, 
exceedingly  ample  pair  of  light  oil-cloth  trowsers,  a  still 
more  ample  jacket,  buttoned  in  front,  and  a  regular  sea- 
man's "  sou'wester " ;  as  he  approached,  the  features  of 
Mr.  Cooper  were  plainly  visible.  Mr.  Benton  hurried  to 
the  door  to  meet  him  and  let  him  in.  Mr.  Cooper  went 
up  into  the  loft,  and  taking  off  his  dripping  garments, 
hung  them  up  and  soon  returned. 

"Well,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  rather  anxiously,  per- 
haps, "  what  news  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Cooper,  "  by  sign  or  sight. 
I  cannot  imagine  how  she  could  have  got  off  those  rocks ; 
but  she  must  have  done  so,  and  drifted  out  into  the  Gulf. 
Had  she  broken  to  pieces,  there  would  have  been  some 


HOW  THE   WEATHER   CLEARED  AT  LAST.     297 

remnant  of  her  here,  as  the  distance  is  so  small  between 
us,  though  both  tide  and  wind  bear  directly  out  into  the 
Gulf." 

"Might  she  not  have  been  driven  off  the  rocks  and 
then  sunk  ?  "  remarked  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Possibly,  sir ;  though  I  think  not,  from  the  fact  that 
the  water  would  hardly  be  deep  enough  to  cover  her 
completely,  and  the  glass  reveals  not  a  single  spar  above 
its  surface." 

"One  thing  is  plain,  then,  —  we  must  get  off  in  our 
boats,  or  build  another  vessel,  or  wait  for  somebody  to 
come  and  take  us  off.  I  think  we  will  do  the  latter ;  we 
have  provisions  for  several  years,  in  case  of  necessity. 
We  will  begin  fishing,  then,  as  soon  as  the  weather  will 
permit." 

Having  thus  oracularly  delivered  himself,  Mr.  Benton 
turned  and  re-entered  his  room,  and  was  probably  soon 
communicating  to  Mrs.  Benton  the  news  of  the  loss  of 
their  vessel. 

Eva  was  now  heard  calling  to  the  boys  at  the  top  of 
her  voice,  to  "  hurry  up  and  come  down  and  find  the  Sea 
Foam  !  " 

This  brought  the  boys  to  their  senses  at  once,  and  they 
were  soon  up  and  dressed,  and  eagerly  learning  the  news 
that  the  vessel  was  gone  —  where,  no  one  knew. 

"  I  don't  care  if  she  has,"  exclaimed  Freddie.  "  It's  all 
the  more  fun  to  have  a  little  uncertainty  in  the  midst 
of  all  our  certainty." 

"We've  a  house,  comfortable  quarters,  plenty  of  pro- 
visions, plenty  of  time,  plenty  to  do,"  remarked  John, 
philosophically;  "and  if  we -had  our  vessel  and  every- 
thing secured  for  getting  back  again  we  would  not  enjoy 
it  half  so  much  as  we  do  now.  I'm  glad  of  it.  Let  her  go. 


298  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

I'll  warrant  the  captain  will  get  full  insurance  just  the 
same  even  for  the  provisions  we  eat." 

"You  are  a  hopeful  business  man,"  quietly  remarked 
Mr.  Taylor,  not  sarcastically  this  time. 

"  I  hate  business,"  added  John,  in  a  peevish  manner. 

"Breakfast  is  ready!  all  hands,"  shouted  Max,  as  he 
hurried  dishes  of  lobster  and  fried  trout  and  cod  and 
flounder,  all  crisp  with  pork  fat  and  scraps,  and  Indian 
meal,  into  platters,  and  upon  the  table.  "Come  and  get 
your  breakfast  while  it  is  hot."  As  he  said  this  he 
brought  out  a  big  plateful  of  baked  potatoes,  and  another 
of  biscuits,  while  the  coffee  steamed  invitingly.  "  I  sup- 
pose you  won't  want  any  crackers  or  hardtack  with  all  that 
you  have  here,"  said  Max,  as  he  added  a  large  plate  of 
that  article,  "  but  you  needn't  eat  it  if  you  don't  want  to." 

All  hands  did  full  justice  to  the  bountiful  repast. 
The  trout  were  fine,  the  cod  and  flounder  excellent,  while 
the  boys  even  seemed  to  prefer  the  latter  to  the  trout. 
Freddie  paid  little  attention  to  the  lobster,  but  Eva 
seemed  to  prefer  it  to  all  the  rest,  and  made  her  break- 
fast almost  wholly  of  it  with  hardtack  and  coffee.  She 
said  that  she  was  "  going  to  turn  sailor,  and  eat  sailors' 
food,"  now  that  she  was  really  a  "  castaway."  Of  course 
everybody  smiled  at  this  remark,  at  which  Eva  pretended 
to  be  greatly  offended. 

After  all  the  family  had  finished  and  arisen,  the  men 
came  in  and  sat  down  to  their  meal.  Then  they  arose, 
and  Max  helped  himself ;  after  that,  all  the  things  were 
cleaned  -up  and  the  dishes  washed  and  replaced  in  the 
pantry,  and  the  table  was  free  for  anybody  to  sit  around 
it  and  write  or  read  as  they  chose. 

Eva  immediately  brought  out  a  pair  of  shears,  a  pile 
of  old  paper,  and  her  scrap  book,  and  began  to  cut  pieces 


HOW  THE    WEATHER  CLEARED  AT  LAST.     299 

which  she  wished  to  preserve  for  its  pages.  Max  had 
made  her  a  small  pot  of  paste,  and  there  she  sat,  con- 
tented and  happy,  poring  over  the  papers,  and  cutting 
and  pasting  to  her  heart's  content  all  the  morning. 
Freddie  occupied  his  time  with  an  old  paper  novel  enti- 
tled "  The  Lost  Cat,"  —  describing  the  adventures  of  a 
wonderful  specimen  of  the  feline  race  in  trying  to  dis- 
cover the  whereabouts  of  her  owners,  who  had  moved  to 
another  part  of  the  village  in  the  town  wherein  they 
lived,  while  the  cat  had  been  absent  on  a  mousing  expe- 
dition into  a  neighbor's  barn.  It  was  a  wonderful  series 
of  adventures,  so  Freddie  pronounced  it,  and  the  others 
fully  agreed  with  him  that  it  must  be,  from  the  interest  he 
displayed  in  it,  though  they  had  not  read  it.  Allie  busied 
himself  in  loading  shells  for  his  gun,  while  John  was 
deeply  buried  in  a  geometry,  with  Mr.  Taylor  endeavoring 
to  prove  to  him  why  he  could  not  square  the  circle. 

Still  the  storm  continued.  Its  fury  had  somewhat 
abated,  but  the  wind  whistled  around  the  corners  of  the 
house,  and  over  the  top  of  the  chimney  and  roof,  and 
the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents. 

"  I  am  pleased  as  well  as  surprised  that  this  house  is 
so  waterproof,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton.  "I  feared  we 
were  to  be  drowned  out  by  our  first  hard  rain-storm>" 

"I  guess  that  the  owners  had  seen  such  weather  as 
this  before,  and  knew  it  was  coming  again  when  they 
built  it,"  said  Allie. 

"That  is  very  apparent,"  replied  Mr.  Benton,  answer- 
ing back,  as  he  very  seldom  did.  "  I  think  we  are  safe 
for  one  season  at  least." 

"  I  say,  boys ;  let's  go  down  and  work  at  our  trout 
nets,"  cried  Freddie,  finishing  the  cat  story,  and  giving 
the  book  a  fling  at  Allie's  head. 


300  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"Look  out  there,  now,"  exclaimed  Allie;  "you've 
tipped  over  three  of  my  shells,  and  spilt  the  powder  all 
over  the  floor.  How  shall  I  ever  pick  it  up  again  ?  " 

"  Get  a  broom  and  sweep  it  out  of  the  door,  and  you 
shall  have  enough  of  mine  to  make  up  for  it,"  said  Fred- 
die, chivalrously. 

"I  have  a  great  mind  to,"  replied  Allie  in  a  vexed 
tone  of  voice.  "  I'll  throw  your  old  cat  book  into  the 
fire  if  I  get  hold  of  it ; "  and  the  two  boys  grappled  for 
the  book,  while  down  went  the  board  on  which  Allie  had 
been  loading  his  shells,  tipping  the  powder  all  over  the 
carpet,  followed  by  caps,  wads,  shot,  and  even  the  shells 
themselves,  which  went  in  every  direction.  Eva,  in 
despair,  got  up  and  stood  upon  the  table,  but  as  even 
the  table  was  threatened,  she  very  judiciously  removed 
to  the  door.  After  a  final  struggle,  during  which  time 
John  had  captured  the  cause  of  contention  and  quietly 
and  unnoticed  stuffed  it  beneath  the  cushion  of  the  rock- 
ing-chair, the  boys,  very  good-naturedly,  decided  to  stop 
their  quarreling  and  help  each  other  pick  up.  This 
was  more  of  a  job  than  had  been  anticipated ;  the  wads 
were  all  over  the  carpet,  the  shot  and  caps  in  every  joint, 
corner,  and  seam  of  the  floor  and  carpet,  and  had  to  be 
picked  out  singly.  As  for  the  powder,  the  broom  picked 
most  of  that  up,  and  a  good  part  of  the  shot  and  caps,  — 
the  best  being  picked  out  from  the  dustpan ;  the  re- 
mainder was  thrown  out  of  the  door.  After  a  long  and 
unsuccessful  search  for  the  bopk,  the  three  boys  started, 
during  a  lull  in  the  storm,  for  the  shed,  leaving  Eva, 
much  to  her  delight,  in  peaceful  possession. 

The  boys  took  up  their  work  with  great  enthusiasm 
and  energy ;  they  found  the  process  of  netting  very  easy 
and  pleasant.  It  really  progressed  so  fast  as  to  surprise 


NOW  THE   WEATHER   CLEARED  AT  LAST.     301 

them.  Sometimes  the  stint  would  be  as  to  which  would 
complete  a  given  distance  on  his  row  first ;  then,  how 
long  it  would  take  to  complete  a  given  number  of  rows 
or  even  a  single  row ;  and  the  trout  nets  grew,  slowly, 
foot  by-  foot,  fathom  by  fathom. 

In  the  midst  of  their  work  Mr.  Cooper  came  in;  he 
complimented  the  boys  on  their  progress,  but  especially 
cautioned  them  to  draw  the  knots  tight,  or  their  nets 
would  soon  need  mending.  He  also  showed  them  how 
to  make  the  knot  in  a  single  stitch,  which  they  now  made 
in  two  stitches,  but  advised  them  not  to  try  it  on  the 
nets  which  they  were  making,  as,  he  said,  it  was  a  bad 
plan  to  mix  stitches  in  the  same  piece  of  work. 

While  John  and  Allie  were  learning  the  new  method, 
Freddie  kept  rapidly  on  with  his  net  and  had  soon 
gained  two  full  rows  on  John,  who  was  still  somewhat 
ahead. 

"  I  mean  to  get  my  net  done  first,  anyhow,"  he  mut- 
tered to  himself ;  "  then  I  can  fish  with  the  mate  in  his 
boat." 

Meanwhile  the  storm  had  somewhat  abated,  so  Mr. 
Taylor,  whose  chief  ambition  seemed  to  be  to  catch 
trout,  had  rigged  for  the  occasion,  with  rubber  coat  and 
hat,  and  tall  boots,  and,  taking  his  hooks,  lines,  and  pole, 
started  for  the  pond  regardless  of  what  the  weather 
might  be. 

"I  shall  surprise  you  all  with  a  fine  salmon,  some 
day,"  Mr.  Taylor  had  once  said,  and  now  Allie  called 
out  to  him,  as  he  was  disappearing  over  the  knoll : 

"  Be  sure  to  bring  us  back  that  salmon  you  promised, 
Mr.  Taylor." 

"You  doubtless  think  that  it  will  be  as  difficult  for 
me  to  get  that  salmon  as  for  you  to  get  your  algebra 


302  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

lesson,"  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  good-humoredly,  as  he  dis- 
appeared toward  the  pond. 

"You  don't  get  ahead  of  Mr.  Taylor  much,"  laughed 
John ;  "  but  let's  shut  this  back  door." 

"  No,"  said  Freddie,  who  was  working  in  one-  corner 
quite  away  from  the  light ;  "  I  can't  see  if  you  do." 

About  eleven  o'clock  the  rain  stopped,  the  wind  died 
down,  and  the  blue  sky  was  beginning  to  appear.  In  a 
copse  of  low  spruce  and  blueberry  bushes  near  by  a  few 
sparrows  were  dashing  merrily  to  and  fro,  shaking  the 
raindrops  from  the  leaves,  and  filling  the  air  with  their 
cheerful  songs.  The  white-crowned  and  the  white- 
throated  sparrows,  with  their  well-known  notes,  each  the 
reverse  of  the  other,  were  chattering  as  if  perfectly  de- 
lighted at  the  prospect  of  a  fine  day;  and  once  a  tit- 
lark, fluttering  about  some  distance  up  in  the  air,  like  a 
wounded  bird  about  to  fall,  uttered  a  few  sweet  notes 
which,  like  the  others,  seemed  to  breathe  of  gladness  and 
joy  that  the  blue  sky  had  at  last  appeared.  Over  the 
bay  numberless  large  white  gulls  circled  about,  far  out 
of  gun-shot,  uttering  their  hoarse,  chuckling  laughter,  or 
they  dived  for  small  fish,  or  pieces  of  food  floating  upon 
the  surface  of  the  water  beneath  them.  Sometimes  a 
flock  of  ducks  would  fly  by,  far  out  to  sea;  then  an 
occasional  flock  of  plover  or  beach-birds  would  come  and 
light  now  on  this  and  now  on  that  side  of  the  bay,  upon 
the  sand,  in  plain  sight  from  the  shed  where  the  boys 
were  at  work.  Once  a  large  black  raven  came  by,  and 
just  as  he  flew  over  the  house  he  doubled  up  his  long, 
black  wings,  took  a  sudden  curving  dip  in  the  air,  and 
uttered  a  deep,  guttural  croak,  that  caused  Freddie,  who 
heard  it,  to  laugh  immoderately. 

"  I  declare,  how  gloriously  it  is  clearing  off ;  isn't  it, 


HOW    THE   WEATHER   CLEARED  AT  LAST.     303 

boys  ? "  exclaimed  Freddie.  "  Let's  go  out.  Let's  go 
up  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  see  the  view.  I'll  go  and 
get  Eva,  too;  she  hasn't  seen  the  sight  from  up  there 

yet." 

The  boys  readily  agreed,  and  Freddie  ran  off  to  the 
house  to  tell  his  sister  to  prepare  to  go  with  them  to 
the  hill-top  to  see  the  view.  Eva  was  delighted,  and 
soon  had  her  hat  and  shawl  and  rubbers  on,  ready  for 
the  ascent,  and  came  out  of  the  door,  singing : 

" '  The  dew  is  on  the  grass,  Mary, 
The  flowers  are  on  the  lea  — 
The  birds,  they  voice  their  sweetest  songs  ; 
Then  come,  oh,  love,  with  me  !' 

There,  boys ;  I'm  ready.  Lead  on  and  I'll  follow ; "  and 
the  merry  party  started  off  through  the  wet  grass  for  the 
hill. 

"  I  declare,  what  mean  walking  for  so  lovely  a  day," 
exclaimed  Eva.  "  I  should  think  that  the  path  would  be 
dry  such  a  fine  day,  if  only  because  we  want  to  use  it.  I 
think  that  it  ought  to  be  accommodating  enough  for 
that." 

"  It  wants  to  show  us  that  all  pleasures  have  their 
alloy,"  laughed  John,  as,  in  dodging  the  dripping,  over- 
hanging branch  of  a  small  spruce  he  hit  it  squarely  and 
brought  down  a  shower  of  water  upon  his  head,  some  of 
which  ran  down  his  neck  and  back. 

As  John  finished  shaking  himself,  he  suddenly  lost  his 
balance  and  would  have  fallen  had  he  not  stepped  quickly 
to  one  side,  just  off  of  the  path,  to  the  mossy  ground  be- 
yond. As  he  did  this,  a  little  bird  started  up  from 
beneath  a  low  bush  growing  by  the  side  of  a  huge  stone. 
Allie  was  the  first  to  see  the  bird  fly,  and  immediately 


304  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

rushed  to  the  place.  A  little  pushing  aside  of  the 
branches  caused  a  deep  hollow  to  be  seen,  at  the  bot- 
tom of  which,  neatly  made  and  cosily  nestled,  lay  a  small 
nest  with  four  grayish- white  eggs,  marked  all  over  with 
brownish  spots  and  blotches. 

"  Oh,  Eva ;  come  and  see  what  I  have  found,"  cried 
Allie.  "  Never  mind  the  wet." 

Eva  didn't  mind  it  at  all,  but  came  tumbling  through 
the  bushes  to  where  Allie  was. 

"Oh,  isn't  it  beautiful!"  cried  Eva,  excitedly;  "let's 
take  it  home.  No,"  she  said,  immediately,  "  that  would 
be  unkind  to  the  poor  mother  bird ;  let  them  remain  and 
watch  for  the  little  young  birds." 

"  So  I  say,"  exclaimed  Allie.  "  I  know  what  it  is,  it  is 
the  little  sparrow  so  common  everywhere  about  here  — 
the  Savanna  sparrow ;  we've  got  all  the  nests  and  eggs 
we  want  at  home ;  we'll  leave  this  for  the  old  bird." 

"  I  think  it's  awful  mean  to  take  the  whole  nest  and 
eggs  of  any  bird,"  said  Eva.  "I  wouldn't  be  so  mean 
—  unless  it  was  an  old  crow  or  a  cat-bird,"  added  she. 

Eva  cordially  detested  a  cat-bird. 

"  I  hate  it,"  said  Eva  ;  "  it's  nothing  but  a  regular  old 
maid  scold;  it  can't  sing,  and  it  stays  in  the  dark  — 
inside  of  the  pines  about  the  door  at  home,  and  it  won't 
do  anything  but  fuss  from  morning  to  night." 

"  But  the  cat-bird  loves  its  young  just  as  much  as  the 
little  sparrow,"  laughed  Freddie. 

"  I  don't  care,"  retorted  Eva,  with  considerable  force ; 
"I  don't  believe  it;  it  couldn't." 

As  this  argument  was  conclusive,  and  nobody  seemed 
disposed  to  dispute  it,  the  party  proceeded  up  the  hill, 
leaving  the  sparrow's  nest,  first  having  marked  the  place 
so  that  they  would  know  it  again,  and  were  soon  on  the 


HOW  THE   WEATHER   CLEARED  AT  LAST.     305 

top  viewing  the  sights  on  either  hand.  The  view  was 
clear  and  sharply  defined  everywhere,  although  the  shad- 
ows from  an  occasional  dark  cloud  overhead  cast  dark 
reflections  on  the  land  and  water  below  them. 

While  they  were  watching  these  shadows  on  the  water, 
Freddie,  looking  up,  saw  an  apparently  long  black  line 
approaching  them  from  over  the  hill  and  inland. 

"  Get  down,  quick,"  cried  he  in  a  whisper  ;  "  there's  a 
big  flock  of  birds  coming." 

The  party  all  squatted  down,  and  the  long  black  line 
came  on,  nearer  and  nearer.  Soon  a  low  qu-qu-qu-like 
whistle  reached  them,  and  suddenly,  with  a  grand  swish 
a  whole  flock  of  curlews  passed  by  them  to  the  left,  and 
disappeared  over  the  slope. 

"  Oh,  dear !  where's  my  gun  ?  "  cried  Allie  in  a  most 
despondent  tone,  as  the  last  bird  was  gone. 

"  I  say,  Allie,"  cried  Fred,  "  let's  go  off  on  a  grand  cur- 
lew hunt  this  afternoon." 

"  Humph,"  muttered  Allie  ;  "  we'll  have  to  load  our 
shells  first." 

"Well,  let's  go  back  and  do  it." 

And  the  boys,  ever  restless  and  eager  for  something 
new  to  occupy  their  time,  started  off  on  a  run  down  the 
hill,  leaving  John  and  Eva  to  come  home  alone  at  their 
own  time  and  convenience. 

In  about  an  hour  the  boys  had  each  loaded  a  dozen 
large  shells  for  curlew  and  other  big  birds ;  half  a  dozen 
very  large  ones  with  heavy  shot  for  gulls ;  and  half  a 
dozen  for  small  birds,  charged  with  very  fine  shot.  Armed 
with  these  the  boys  started  off  down  the  bay  in  the  direc- 
tion whither  they  had  seen  the  curlews  fly,  for  a  grand 
hunt,  bound  to  shoot  some  birds  if  they  "had  to  stay 
out  all  day  and  all  night  to  do  it,"  so  Allie  said. 


306  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    BOYS    EXPLORE    THE    COUNTRY   AND    FIND    A  CAVE. 

THEY  first  took  the  path  toward  the  head  of  the  bay, 
and  were  soon  struggling  along  among  rocks  and  over 
big  logs  of  driftwood,  for  a  better  position  nearer  the  beach 
or  water's  edge ;  they  felt  surer  of  finding  signs  of  birds 
there  than  in  the  open  meadow-land,  at  the  right  of  them. 
In  thus  doing  they  were  wise,  for  no  sooner  had  they 
struck  the  beach  than  they  stumbled  directly  upon  a 
large  flock  of  "  Quebec  curlews,"  as  the  boys  still  contin- 
ued to  call  them,  that  were  wading  in  the  water  and 
feeding  close  by.  The  flock  started  up  with  a  shrill 
whistle,  and  made  for  the  other  side  of  the  bay,  but  not 
until  Allie  had  given  them  the  contents  of  the  left  barrel 
of  his  gun,  and  killed  two  and  wounded  a  third,  which  was 
soon  splashing  about  in  the  water,  just  out  of  reach. 

The  firing  of  the  gun  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  old 
rocks,  and  its  roar  reverberated  for  some  seconds  along 
the  shore,  waking  up  and  starting  flock  after  flock  of 
small  beach  birds,  and  sanderlings,  and  one  or  two  small 
companies  of  larger  birds. 

"  There ! "  exclaimed  Allie ;  "  shall  we  spend  the  day 
in  following  up  these  small  birds,  or  shall  we  go  after 
the  curlews  ?  " 

"  I  speak  for  the  curlew  !  "  cried  Fred. 

"So  do  I! "  replied  Allie. 

Following  along  the  shore,  then,  until  they  had  reached 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND  FIND  A    CAVE.      307 

the  head  of  the  bay,  starting  up  innumerable  small  flocks 
of  plovers  and  beach  birds,  on  the  way,  the  boys  turned 
toward  the  hills  and  began  to  clamber  up  them,  knowing 
that  here,  if  anywhere,  they  would  be  likely  to  find  the 
curlews,  feeding  on  the  slopes  and  table-lands,  on  a  small 
low  blackberry,  much  resembling  the  huckleberry,  but 
which  in  the  north  is  known,  generally,  by  the  name  of 
the  u  curlew  berry  "  ;  the  curlew  eats  them  so  greedily  as 
sometimes  to  color  their  flesh  almost  black. 

Here  the  boys  climbed  and  hunted,  and  hunted  and 
climbed;  crossing  and  recrossing  the  meadow  lands  of 
deep  moss,  sometimes  dry,  sometimes  wet,  from  the  over- 
flow of  small  streams  or  marshy  ponds,  and  where  they 
would  often  sink  to  their  knees.  Then  they  would  have 
to  descend  deep  hollows  and  rocky  ravines,  to  the  depth, 
often,  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  before  they  could  ascend 
to  the  opposite  side  and  continue  their  tramp.  Now  a 
dense  patch  of  alders  or  low  and  gnarly  fir  and  spruce, 
mingled  with  beech  trees,  would  bar  the  way,  and  quite 
exhaust  the  patience  of  the  young  hunters. 

"  I  declare  ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  after  ascending  a  long, 
steep  slope,  "  if  we  could  only  shoot  something,  or  even 
see  something,  it  wouldn't  seem  so  bad ;  but  here  we  are, 
still  in  sight  of  the  bay,  and  have  gone  miles  to  get  over 
one,  and  not  a  curlew  in  sight,  even." 

"  Never  mind ! "  said  Allie,  "  we've  nothing  better  to 
do,  and  we  might  as  well  make  an  exploring  expedition 
of  it,  —  for  that's  all  it  has  been,  so  far." 

"I  think  it's  too  rocky,  here,  for  curlews.  Allie,  I 
say !  let's  climb  up  to  the  top  of  that  big  hill,  and  see  the 
view." 

The  hill,  in  question,  was  an  immense  one,  and  towered 
up,  at  the  left,  some  three  or  four  hundred  feet  above 


308  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

where  they  then  were,  which  must  have  been  between 
one  and  two  hundred  feet  above  the  bay ;  it  was  very 
rugged  and  irregular  in  outline,  and  presented  high  walls 
of  almost  perpendicular  rock  to  be  climbed,  and  one  deep 
gorge  stood  directly  in  their  path.  Nevertheless,  up  the 
hill  they  started,  at  the  word,  and  were  soon  struggling 
along  over  the  rocks  and  wet  boggy  patches,  up  the 
steeps,  toward  the  crest  above. 

"  I  declare  ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  during  one  of  their  halts, 
"this  is  the  worst  hill  climbing  I  ever  attempted.  I 
never  could  have  got  over  that  flat  rock  without  running, 
in  this  world."  The  rock  referred  to  was  one  such  as 
often  occurred  along  the  hill  slopes,  wherever  they  went, 
smooth,  flat  along  the  lower  part,  and  slowly  sloping  up- 
ward. "  I'm  glad  it  wasn't  wet,  like  the  small  one  we 
found  below." 

"  I'm  glad  you  told  me  how  you  did  it,"  said  Freddie. 
"I've  been  trying  for  over  three  months  to  get  across  it, 
and  once  I  slipped  and  came  near  smashing  my  gun." 

As  he  said  this,  Freddie,  with  a  grand  dash,  rushed 
over  and  across  the  rock  and  gained  in  safety  the  op- 
posite side ;  just  then  Allie  fired  his  gun,  and  a  small 
flock  of  five  or  six  birds,  about  the  size  of  robins,  flew 
from  a  cover  of  birches  near  by,  and  crossed  the  ridge  of 
the  hill. 

•  "  Oh,  dear ! "  cried  Allie,  in  a  voice  of  intense  disgust. 
"A  real,  home  robin,  and  I  missed  him.  I'll  follow 
that  bird  all  over  the  hill ! "  and  he  began  climbing,  with 
most  desperate  courage,  leaving  Fred  far  in  the  rear. 

Both  boys  were  now  nearing  the  top  of  the  hill,  and 
had  come  to  the  big  chasm  over  which  they  were  obliged 
to  cross.  It  was  a  deep  chasm,  and  rocky  to  its  bottom, 
through  which  trickled  a  small  stream. 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND    FIND  A    CAVE.     309 

"  It  isn't  very  wide ! "  said  Allie,  "  and  the  climbing 
looks  easy  along  this  side ;  I  believe  the  higher  up  we  go 
the  easier  it  will  be  to  cross  it ;  let's  follow  it  along  a 
little  ways." 

The  boys  followed  the  edge  of  the  gorge  for  a  few 
rods,  and  found  that  instead  of  growing  narrower  it  grew 
wider ;  but  they  also  found  that,  as  it  grew  in  width  it 
lessened  in  depth,  and  soon  they  were  able  to  come  to 
a  crossing  where,  with  very  little  climbing,  they  could 
easily  make  their  way  over  the  rocks,  and  through  the 
alder  and  birch  growths  of  the  other  side,  and  so  on 
toAvard  the  top  peak. 

Standing  on  a  flat  rock,  the  boys  had  a  very  good  out- 
look upon  the  side  from  which  they  had  ascended,  and 
the  hills  and  table-lands  behind  them,  but  they  had  not 
yet  reached  the  top,  where  they  could  look  beyond.  Just 
as  they  were  turning  to  begin  the  work  of  climbing 
again,  Allie  saw  his  flock  of  birds,  far  to  the  right,  in  a 
little  valley  below  them,  flying  here  and  there  among 
the  low  bushes,  in  a  field-like  piece  of  table-land  or 
meadow-patch,  and  half  a  mile  away. 

"No  use!"  said  Freddie,  "you  can't  get  near  to 
them." 

"  I  say,  Fred  ! "  sang  out  Allie,  already  some  rods  down 
the  slope,  "  stay  where  I  can  see  you,  only  keep  on  climb- 
ing to  the  top,  and  I'll  be  there  soon." 

The  last  words  were  very  faint,  for  Allie  was  already 
out  of  sight. 

Freddie,  disgusted  and  provoked,  muttered  to  himself, 
"  I'm  glad  he's  the  one  to  go,  not  I ;  we'll  be  tired  enough 
before  we  get  home,  at  any  rate,  without  going  on  any 
more  wild  goose  chases";  then  he  turned  and  began  to 
climb  again. 


310  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

A  very  little  distance,  now,  brought  Freddie  to  the  top 
of  the  hill. 

"  There !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  stood  on  the  top,  where 
there  was  a  low,  flat  rock,  mossed  over,  and  damp  on 
one  side  where  a  little  rill,  the  same  probably  that  fur- 
nished the  stream  in  the  ravine  below,  slowly  trickled 
its  way  through  the  moss  and  over  the  edge  of  the 
stone  down  to  the  rocks  below.  "  There !  I'm  on  the 
top,  and  I  can  see  North,  South,  East  and  West.  I 
can  see  the  bay,  the  ocean,  the  chimney  of  our  house,  a 
flat  meadow  half-way  between  the  water  and  the  hills 
above  and  beyond  it,  and  these  hills  and  low  valleys,  and 
all  sorts  of  country  till  we  get  almost  around  again ;  and 
then,  glimmering  in  the  distance,  I  see  a  lake  and  a 
pretty  little  valley,  almost  hidden  among  the  rocks  and 
spruces  between  it  and  us." 

"  Urbs  antiqua  f uit, "  shouted  Freddie,  gesticu- 
lating. 

" Tyrii  tenuere  coloni." 

"  Oh,  dear !  how  does  it  go !  it's  so  long  since  I've 
studied  Virgil,  that  it  sticks  like  a  lump  in  my  throat. 
Anyway ! "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  majestic  wave  of  the 
hand,  "  I  can  shout  with  the  poet : 

'  Ye  rocks  and  crags,  I'm  with  you  once  again ! ' 

No,  that's  not  it,  exactly,  'with  ye  once  again,'  when  I 
was  never  with  them  before  !  No,  that's  not  right !  that'll 
never  do  !  It  will  never  do  to  begin  the  '  Monarch  of  all 
I  survey'  business,  because  if  I  get  to  the  'my  right 
there  is  none  to  dispute,'  there'll  be  another  fellow  with 
a  gun  around,  and  then  there'll  have  to  be  a  duel  or  an 
apology,  so  I  guess  I'll  stop  short  where  I  am,  and  sit 
down  and  wait  for  the  other  fellow,"  laughed  Freddie,  as 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND  FIND  A   CAVE.     311 

he  looked  around  for  a  good  soft,  easy  seat,  and  suited 
the  action  to  the  words. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  lovely  view  that  stretched  out  on  all 
sides,  below  and  beyond ;  and  while  Freddie  was  gazing 
at  it,  reclining  as  he  was  upon  his  rocky  couch,  he  utterly 
forgot  to  keep  Allie  in  sight,  and  before  five  minutes 
were  gone  he  was  fast  asleep. 

Half  an  hour  later  he  opened  his  eyes,  rolled  over,  and 
began  to  rub  them  vigorously. 

"  Humph ! "  he  muttered,  "  guess  I  must  have  been  to 
sleep !  Where  am  I,  anyway  !  Allie  ! "  he  shouted,  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  "  where  are  you  ?  " 

"  Here ! "  exclaimed  a  voice  as  loud  as  his  call  of 
"  Allie  "  had  been,  causing  him  to  start,  really  frightened. 
"  Not  a  bit  of  doubt  about  your  having  been  to  sleep ;  a 
pretty  sentry  you'd  make,  wouldn't  you  ?  I  thought  you 
were  going  to  keep  where  I  could  see  you,  so  I  could 
know  how  to  get  back ;  how  could  I  see  you  when  you 
were  lying  down  ?  " 

"  I  declare,  Al !  I  forgot !  that  was  careless." 

"  Never  mind ! "  said  Allie,  "  I'm  safe,  and  so  are 
the  robins  I  went  after,  for  they  flew  away  before  I 
was  half  there ;  I  did  want  to  get  one,  though,  they 
reminded  me  so  much  of  home, — but  what  a  splendid 
view." 

The  boys  remained  here  watching  the  scenery,  for 
nearly  an  hour.  They  looked  with  longing  eyes  upon 
the  glimmer  of  the  water  in  the  vale  below  them  to  their 
left,  and  speculated  whether  it  were  really  a  lake  or  not, 
and  if  so  how  large  it  might  be,  what  were  its  surround- 
ings, and  how  far  away  it  was. 

"  I  should  like  to  go  there,  but  'tis  too  late  to-night," 
said  Allie.  "  We'll  come  some  morning,  and  make  a  day 


312  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

of  it  exploring  the  whole  valley,  and  take  with  us  our 
guus  and  our  botany  cans." 

"  That's  so ! "  said  Freddie ;  "  won't  we  have  fun  ?  " 

After  they  had  fully  rested,  the  boys  took  up  their 
guns  once  more  and  started  to  climb  down  the  hill  and 
return  home.  One  of  them  proposed  following  the 
stream  down.  So  both  began  wending  their  way  down 
the  rocks  in  the  course  of  the  little  rill,  which  became 
larger  as  it  descended,  while  the  ravine  enlarged  so 
quickly  that  the  boys  presently  found  themselves  in  a 
rapidly  deepening  pit,  with  high  walls  on  both  sides  of 
them,  and  only  a  little  light,  from  the  opening  above, 
to  guide  them  in  the  path,  which,  luckily,  was  not  diffi- 
cult to  travel ;  while  the  water,  now  quite  a  good-sized 
stream,  gushed  and  splashed  in  and  out  among  the  rocks 
here  and  there  at  their  feet. 

"  Well,  Allie  !  this  is  romantic,"  exclaimed  Fred. 

His  voice  almost  frightened  him,  it  sounded  so  hollow 
and  oppressed. 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  "  asked  Allie,  a  step  or  so  behind, 
and  consequently  above  him,  "  the  water  makes  so  much 
noise  I  can  hardly  hear  you ! " 

"  I  don't  remember ! "  said  Fred.  "  I'm  almost  get- 
ting scared ;  it  seems  so  like  a  dungeon  here,  I'm  almost 
afraid  to  go  on ;  say,  Allie,  where  are  you  ?  ain't  you 
afraid  ?  " 

"  Come  !  let's  go  on,  and  not  be  foolish.  How  they'd 
laugh  at  us  at  home." 

Freddie  almost  blushed  at  himself  as  he  thought  first 
of  backing  out,  then  of  stopping  and  telling  Allie  to  go 
on  ahead :  finally  he  pushed  forward  boldly  as  he  de- 
scended further  into  the  gully,  when  suddenly,  without 
a  word,  he  disappeared. 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND  FIND  A   CAVE.      313 

"  Freddie  ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  "  where  are  you  ?  "  but 
not  a  sound  returned. 

Allie  cautiously  approached  the  spot  where  he  had 
last  seen  Fred,  feeling  his  way  along,  at  every  step,  with 
a  long  stick  which  he  held  some  distance  in  advance. 
Suddenly  the  water  disappeared  down  a  long  fall ;  Allie 
would  have  gone  with  it,  had  he  not  thus  felt  his  way 
along  with  his  stick.  Stepping  carefully  on  the  edge, 
and  close  to  the  wall  of  the  rock,  he  was  just  able  to 
peer  over  and  into  the  distance  below. — The  fall  seemed 
to  be  some  ten  feet  deep,  and  to  end  in  a  pool  of  water. 
There  was  no  way  to  get  down,  except  by  the  most 
difficult  and  careful  climbing  along  the  side  where  he 
stood.  This  could  never  have  been  done  at  all  but  for 
the  long  stick  which  Allie  held ;  bracing  this,  carefully, 
upon  the  opposite  side,  he  managed  to  get  down  a  few 
feet,  and  then,  with  much  difficulty,  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  chasm.  He  was  standing  upon  a  small  flat  rock 
at  the  brink  of  a  pool  several  feet  deep,  of  dark  water, 
the  water  from  above  pouring  down  into  it  at  most 
furious  rate.  The  path  seemed  plain  enough  ahead,  but 
where  was  Fred  ? 

In  a  few  moments,  after  his  eyes  became  accustomed 
to  the  darkness,  Allie  perceived  a  faint  glimmer  of  light 
coining  from  directly  behind  the  water-fall,  and  play- 
ing upon  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  fall  did  not 
quite  reach  the  rock  on  either  side,  and  the  gap  seemed 
widest  between  the  water  and  the  face  of  the  cliff 
on  the  opposite  side  from  the  one  down  which  he  had 
descended.  Moving  a  little,  Allie  could  see  that  there 
was  a  dark  hollow  in  the  rock  just  back  of  the  water- 
fall, and  into  this  he  determined  to  make  his  way. 
—  It  could  be  done  in  one  of  two  ways:  by  dashing 


314  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

across  and  through  the  waterfall,  consequently  getting 
thoroughly  wet,  and  by  crawling  carefully  around  the 
edge.  Allie  chose  the  latter  way,  and  was  soon  in  a 
dark,  damp  cave,  several  feet  high  and  about  two  feet 
wide ;  in  the  distance,  apparently,  there  showed  a  faint 
gleam  of  light,  reflected  on  the  wall  in  front  of  him. 

Allie  was  too  excited  to  take  very  accurate  observa- 
tions as  to  the  extent  of  the  cave,  but  hastened  to  fol- 
low the  light.  While  he  was  doing  so,  he  suddenly  be- 
came aware  that  something  alive  was  moving  in  the  cave, 
and  at  but  a  little  distance  ahead  of  him ;  then  in  an- 
other moment  the  light  he  was  following  became  extin- 
guished. ; 

To  say  that  Allie  was  frightened  would  be  putting  it 
mildly;  he  was  more  than  frightened,  he  was  actually 
terrified,  and  the  cold  perspiration  began  to  start  from 
every  pore.  He  remembered  that  Mr.  Heady  had  laughed 
as  they  went  off,  and  said  something  about  bears,  and 
his  breath  came  slow  and  thick.  True,  he  had  his  gun 
with  him,  but  he  was  too  frightened  even  to  think  of  it 
at  that  moment. 

Just  then  Allie's  foot  slipped  and  hit  a  stone,  which 
fell  with  a  little  splash  into  a  pool  of  water  close  by. 
The  noise  evidently  startled  the  strange  creature  at  the 
other  end  of  the  cavern,  for  it  immediately  struck  a  match 
and  called  out : 

"  Hullo !  what's  that !  " 

"Thank  the  Lord!"  cried  Allie,  "is  that  you,  Fred- 
die?" 

"  Yes  !  is  that  you,  Allie  ?  How  you  frightened  me ! 
I  was  just  coming  back  to  tell  you  where  I  had  been. 
Let's  get  out  first,  come  on ; "  and  Fred  turned  and 
groped  his  way,  followed  by  his  brother,  through  a  short 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND    FIND  A    CAVE.     315 

passage  to  an  opening,  shut  in  by  ferns  and  plant-growth, 
out  into  the  open  air. 

"  How  good  it  is  to  get  outside  once  more !  but  where 
are  we  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Freddie,  "  but  no  one  would  ever 
find  such  a  place  in  this  world,  unless  they  stumbled  into 
it,  as  I  did.  I  went  right  down  into  the  water,  and  why 
I  didn't  break  my  neck  I  don't  see,  unless  it  was  because 
the  walls  were  so  narrow  that  I  had  to  land  on  my 
feet.  I  was  soaking  wet  and  the  water  still  pouring 
over  me,  when  I  stuck  my  head  through  the  falls,  found 
the  cave,  and  hurried  into  it  and  out  here  as  you  were 
doing." 

"I'd  have  shot  you  for  a  bear,"  said  Allie,  "if  I  hadn't 
been  too  frightened  when  you  came  in." 

"I'm  awfully  glad  that  you  were  too  frightened, 
then,"  laughed  Fred,  wringing  some  of  the  water  from 
his  wet  clothes.  "Let's  hurry  home,  I'm  soaking,  and 
we'll  leave  the  rest  of  the  cave  and  the  gorge  to  be 
explored  another  time." 

After  getting  some  of  the  water  out  of  his  coat  and 
pantaloons,  Freddie  and  Allie  started  for  home.  They 
could  estimate  pretty  nearly  where  the  head  of  the  bay 
was,  and  so  they  struck  for  it,  rather  than  trust  to  "cross- 
ing lots,"  for  the  house. 

Both  boys  took  a  careful  look  at  the  surroundings  of 
the  mouth  of  their  cave.  No  one  would  ever  have  found 
it,  it  looked  so  like  a  large  patch  of  ferns  and  plants, 
a  little  distance  from  the  mass  of  rock  that  seemed  a 
part  and  parcel  of  the  solid  hills. 

"Who  would  ever  imagine  an  opening,  much  less  a 
cave,  here?"  said  Freddie,  as  they  turned  their  steps 
toward  the  head  of  the  bay. 


316  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

It  took  the  boys  half  an  hour  to  reach  the  stream  at 
the  head  of  the  bay.  From  this  they  could  look  back 
and  see  the  entrance  to  the  deep  gully  that  they  had  fol- 
lowed so  far. 

"  It  looks  almost  as  if  we  were  afraid  to  follow  that 
gully  the  rest  of  the  way  down,"  said  Freddie.  "  I'll  do 
it  some  day,  though.  It  looks  easy  enough  from  here  to 
follow  it  up  to  where  the  waterfall  is,  but  it  looked  hard 
enough  from  the  inside.  I'm  going  back  to  follow  the 
path  down,  before  I  ever  go  up  to  the  falls  this  way. 
I'm  not  so  big  a  coward  now  that  I've  been  scared,  and 
had  a  breath  of  air  once  more." 

The  boys  were  now  on  the  beach.  Freddie's  gun  was 
thoroughly  wet,  but,  being  a  breech-loader,  was  still  in 
good  condition  to  fire,  in  spite  of  the  many  scratches  that 
it  had  received  on  both  stock  and  barrels.  A  good  wiping 
out  with  a  small  pocket-cleaner,  and  a  brush  on  the  out- 
side with  his  handkerchief,  soon  put  it  in  good  shooting 
trim,  and  a  couple  of  new  shells  completed  the  work. 

"  Now  for  some  birds  !  Sh-sh ! "  cried  Allie,  "  here's 
where  we  shot  the  others ;  the  flock  may  have  returned, 
and  then  we  can  get  another  shot  at  them,  perhaps." 

The  boys  cautiously  approached  the  rocks,  behind 
which  they  expected  to  find  the  birds,  and  then  with 
a  cautious  movement,  and  all  prepared,  they  arose.  At 
the  same  moment  both  guns  sounded,  and  three  dead 
birds  remained,  while  about  thirty  flew  rapidly  across 
the  bay,  with  a  wild  Qu-qu-qu!  The  boys  hastened  to 
pick  up  the  spoils.  A  little  farther  on,  another  bird  was 
found. 

"  Probably  it  is  one  we  wounded  and  couldn't  get  when 
we  came  up,"  said  Allie. 

After  walking  a  few  steps  the  boys   saw  the   flock 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND    FIND  A    CAVE.     317 

whirling  around,  as  if  it  wished  to  return.  They  both 
stooped  behind  a  huge  rock,  close  by,  and  began  a  vigor- 
ous whistling  of  qu-qu-qu-qu-qu-qu  !  qu !  qu  I  qu  I  qu ! 
when  the  flock  soon  wheeled  and  alighted  in  the  same 
place  where  they  had  flown  from.  A  second  time  the 
guns  sounded,  and  five  of  the  birds  tumbled. 

"  That  makes  eleven  birds  ! "  said  Allie.  "  Come,  let's 
hurry  up,  it's  growing  awfully  dark  and  beginning  to 
sprinkle,  too ;  come,  hurry,  or  we  shall  get  wet." 

"  WE  are  wet,"  laughed  Freddie ;  and  both  boys  struck 
into  a  run,  and  just  reached  the  house  as  the  shower  and 
night  were  upon  them.  Down  came  the  rain  in  a  perfect 
torrent  of  large  drops,  and  had  they  been  a  few  moments 
longer  away  they  both  would  have  been  deluged. 

"Oh,  Freddie!"  exclaimed  Eva,  "what  do  you  think 
the  men  have  got  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  can't  imagine,  —  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  You  must  guess,  before  I  tell  you,"  said  Eva. 

"I  shall  never  find  out,  then,"  laughed  Fred,  "for 
unless  it's  a  whale,  or  the  Sea  Foam,  or  a  puffing  pig, 
or  a  big  snapping-turtle  —  but  I  forgot,  they  don't  have 
turtles  in  this  country  —  I'm  sure  I  can't  imagine  what 
it  can  be." 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you!"  cried  Eva,  "'tis  a  seal.  A  bed- 
lammer,  the  men  said.  What's  a  bed-lammer  ?  " 

At  this  Allie  laughed  so  long  and  so  loud  that  Eva, 
really  quite  vexed,  ran  up  to  him  and  gave  him  a  sound 
box  on  the  ear,  which  brought  him  to  his  senses  at 
once. 

"  I  think  you're  awfully  impolite,"  said  Eva ;  "  /'?«,  not 
talking  to  you,  at  all ;  you're  a  mean,  saucy  fellow ;  go 
off !  —  Say,  tell  me,  Freddie,  what  a  bed-lammer  is  ! " 

Allie  broke  out  again,  but  put   his   hands   over  his 


318  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

mouth  and  ran  out  of  doors,  where  he  broke  into  a  loud 
whoop,  that  would  have  done  credit  to  an  Indian  brave. 

At  that  moment  Mr.  Ready  came  in,  and  Eva  appealed 
to  him,  to  know  what  a  bed-lammer  was.  Mr.  Ready 
laughed,  too  ;  and  so  Eva  tabooed  him. 

"  I  don't  care  !  "  exclaimed  that  young  miss,  "  I  think 
you're  all  real  mean.  I'm  sure  the  mate  said  that  was 
the  name,  and  I  think  some  of  you  big  men  might  tell 
me  what  it  is  instead  of  standing  there  and  laughing, 
like  a  pack  of  idiots ;  you  don't  know  what  it  is,  anyway, 
more  than  I  do." 

There  was  no  knowing  to  what  extent  Miss  Eva's 
pique  would  have  carried  her,  had  not  Mr.  Ready  offered 
to  explain. 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Miss  Eva,"  he  said,  "  we  call  it  a  bella- 
mer,  and  it  means  simply  a  young  harp  seal  before  it  has 
attained  its  full  growth.  It  was  a  bellamer  seal  that  the 
mate  shot." 

It  was  a  fine  specimen,  and  had  been  shot  right  through 
the  head.  The  mate  had  seen  him  in  the  bay  from  the 
house,  and,  taking  the  old  musket,  had  loaded  it  with 
two  balls,  and  lay  on  the  rocks  watching  for  him  for 
nearly  an  hour;  at  length  the  seal  came  quite  near  the 
shore,  and  the  mate,  taking  deliberate  aim,  fired  and 
killed  him  instantly.  The  body  sank,  as  it  was  not  very 
fat,  but  the  water  was  so  shallow  that  it  was  easily  recov- 
ered by  the  men  in  one  of  the  boats. 

It  was  now  too  dark  to  see  anything,  or  the  boys  would 
have  rushed  down  to  the  wharf ;  as  it  was,  they  were  too 
hungry  and  tired,  and  Fred  too  wet,  to  think  of  going 
out  again,  especially  as  it  was  still  raining  hard;  so 
Fred  went  aloft  to  change  his  clothes  and  put  on  some 
dry  ones,  while  Allie  related  their  adventures. 


THE  BOYS  EXPLORE  AND    FIND  A    CAVE.     319 

Eva  was  especially  delighted  at  the  idea  of  there  being 
a  cave  to  explore,  and  only  wished  that  she  were  a  man 
and  that  it  was  daytime  so  that  she  might  go  right  off 
and  explore  it.  She  said  that  she  was  sure  that  it  must 
be  full  of  money ;  and  then  she  began  to  wonder  if  there 
might  not  be  bears  in  there  too,  —  and  so  she  concluded 
that  it  was  just  as  well  that  she  wasn't  a  man,  and  that 
some  one  else  could  do  the  exploring  first,  so  as  to  be 
sure  that  it  was  all  right;  then,  she  thought,  it  must  be 
splendid  fun  rambling  about  in  lone,  narrow  passages, 
and  high  dome-like  caverns,  and  finding  nooks  and  cor- 
ners never  known  to  have  existed  before. 

"  Then  we  can  fit  it  up  and  live  in  it  all  winter,  if  we 
have  to  stay  here  so  long,"  said  Eva. 

"  I  hate  to  spoil  all  your  dreams,  Eva,"  said  Allie,  "  but 
the  cave  we  found  is  so  small  that  you  must  crawl  into 
it  on  your  hands  and  knees,  and  then  it  will  hardly  let 
you  stand  up  in  it ;  and  it  may  be  only  a  little  hollow 
place  in  the  rock  and  not  a  real  cave.  There  isn't  much 
limestone  rock  here,  and  so  our  cave  can't  be  very  big." 

Without  heeding  Allie' s  remark,  Eva  continued,  "  And 
then,  after  it  is  all  nicely  cleaned  up,  we  will  have  a 
fountain  in  the  center  of  the  big  room  with  the  dome- 
like roof,  and  make  some  seats  around  the  sides,  and 
call  it  our  dance  hall,  like  the  Luray  caverns.  We'll 
have  a  fine  time,  Freddie,  won't  we ! "  cried  Eva,  en- 
thusiastically. 

"  Of  course  we  will,"  said  Freddie,  "  and  then  we  will 
have  one  room  for  a  conservatory,  and  plant  some  of  all 
the  different  flowers  we  can  find." 

"  There,  now,  you're  laughing  at  me !  "  cried  Eva.  "  If 
you'd  eat  your  supper,  it  would  keep  you  busy  long 
enough  to  make  you  have  some  sense." 


320  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

By  this  time  the  boys'  supper  was  ready,  the  others 
having  had  theirs,  and  both  sat  down  and  made  quick 
work  of  hot  coffee,  fried  flounders,  corn-meal  bread,  and 
crisp,  brown  biscuits  ;  just  the  kind  of  supper  for  two 
almost  famished  hunters. 

"  I  declare  ! "  exclaimed  Allie,  as  he  was  taking  a  large 
piece  of  biscuit  and  his  third  cup  of  coffee.  "  Get  my 
bag,  Max,  and  see  the  birds  I've  got.  They'll  make  a  fine 

'  Entree  '  for  our  dinner  to-morrow." 

• 

Max  produced  the  bag  and  the  birds,  and  was  soon 
picking  the  latter,  putting  the  feathers  into  a  large 
bushel  basket.  "  I'm  going  to  save  them  for  a  pillow," 
said  he. 

And  thus,  with  pleasant,  happy  talk  the  evening  passed 
away. 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  321 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EXPLORING  THE  CAVE  AND  WHAT  WAS  FOUND  THERE. 

r  I  THE  next  day  the  boys  prepared  to  follow  out  the  ex- 
-»-i  plorations  begun  on  the  day  previous,  and  to  the 
delight  and  surprise  of  all,  Mr.  Taylor  and  John  signified 
their  intention  of  accompanying  them. 

After  breakfast  Max  put  up,  in  a  basket,  a  fine  lunch, 
to  which  he  added  a  large  bottle  of  spruce  beer ;  and  with 
these  and  the  gun^,  Mr.  Taylor  as  usual  taking  his  fish- 
ing tackle  that  he  might  try  if  the  stream  contained  any 
trout,  they  all  started  off. 

The  boys  had  decided  to  reconsider  their  plan  of  going 
directly  to  the  cave,  and  to  follow  up  the  ravine  to  the 
waterfall  instead.  It  was  at  last  concluded  to  let  Mr. 
Taylor  fish  up  the  stream,  in  the  ravine,  while  the  three 
boys  went  at  once  to  the  cave  and  began  explorations. 

"  I  shall  reach  you  before  you  get  far  out  of  sight," 
laughed  Mr.  Taylor.  "  I  imagine  that  the  stream  is  not 
so  large  as  to  detain  me  a  very  great  while,  or  the  fish  so 
abundant  as  to  require  any  assistance,"  he  added,  good- 
humoredly. 

This  just  suited  the  boys,  and  so  they  trudged  along, 
Mr.  Taylor  with  his  fish-pole  over  his  shoulder,  John 
with  the  basket  of  provisions  in  his  hand,  and  the  two 
other  boys  with  their  guns  on  their  shoulders,  like  a 
party  of  "raw  recruits  from  the  army,"  as  Mr.  Taylor 
said. 


322  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

11  I'm  always  to  be  found  where  there  is  any  fishing, 
boys,"  remarked  Mr.  Taylor,  "  so  do  not  wait  for  me  at 
lunch  if  I  am  late." 

With  a  parting  "  good  luck "  on  both  sides,  the  party 
divided. 

"I  declare,"  exclaimed  Freddie,  "I  was  bold  enough 
while  we  were  at  home  talking  about  it,  but  now  that  we 
are  getting  nearer  and  nearer  the  place,  I  am  almost 
scared  again ;  just  supposing  there  should  be  a  bear  in 
there,  he'd  be  sure  to  kill  some  one  of  us  before  we  could 
get  a  shot  into  him." 

"  Well,  I'm  not  frightened,"  replied  Allie,  "  but  I  did 
have  the  shakes  yesterday,  when  I  was  in  all  that  dark- 
ness and  trying  to  find  my  way  out  somewhere,  I  knew 
not  where,  and  I  saw  you  and  heard  you  moving,  Fred." 

"I  don't  wonder  at  it,  and  perhaps  /  wasn't  scared, 
too.  I  thought  that  if  it  was  a  bear  it  would  bite  me, 
and  if  it  was  you  you'd  shoot  me,  and  for  a  moment  it 
flashed  upon  me  how  incautious  I  was,  anyway,  to  go  in 
there  so,  —  yet  I'm  glad  that  I  did." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  tumbled  down  that  gully  without 
killing  yourself." 

"  Well,  four  feet  of  water  is  not  so  hard  a  cushion  to 
fall  on  as  nothing  but  rocks  would  be." 

"  But  I  can't  see  how  you  could  fall  down  ten  feet  into 
four  feet  of  water  without  a  hurt,  a  sprain,  or  a  scratch," 
replied  Allie. 

"  I  fell  right  down ;  the  piece  of  rock  I  stepped  on 
broke  off,  and  I  guess  the  air  knew  what  a  ducking  I  was 
to  get  and  so  buoyed  me  up,"  laughed  Freddie. 

"  I  guess  you  buoyed  it ;  but  here  we  are  at  the 
mouth." 

"Where?  "asked  John. 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  323 

"  There  now,  if  you'll  find  it,"  said  Freddie,  "  I'll  give 
you  first  shot  when  the  curlews  come,  if  we  see  any 
to-daj." 

John  then  began  to  search  in  every  nook  and  corner, 
for  the  entrance  to  the  cave,  hunting  high  and  low  for 
it,  but  without  success,  and  he  finally  had  to  give  it  up. 

"  I  can't  find  it,  boys,"  said  John. 

Freddie  and  Allie  were  sitting  on  the  very  rock  that 
concealed  the  entrance,  and  so  Allie  laughed  and  said : 

"  Shut  your  eyes,  John,  for  just  a  minute." 

John  shut  his  eyes,  and  Freddie  immediately  disap- 
peared in  the  cavity,  as  Allie  held  back  the  ferns  and 
plant  growths  carefully  and  as  carefully  replaced  them. 

"  Now  look,  John." . 

John  opened  his  eyes  and  saw  that  Freddie  had  disap- 
peared, but  even  then  he  could  not  find  the  opening. 

"  I'll  give  you  one  more  chance,"  said  Allie,  laughing. 
"Now  turn  your  face  directly  opposite  me,  shut  your 
eyes,  take  ten  steps  forward,  stop  and  count  one  hun- 
dred, and  then  see  if  you  can  find  me." 

John's  face  was  no  sooner  turned,  than  Allie  very 
quickly  pushed  the  leaves  away  from  the  hole  and  crawled 
in  backwards  without  making  any  noise  or  disturbing  the 
plants,  and  then  brought  them  over  the  hole  once  more. 

"Come,  John;  find  me,"  he  cried;  then  he  dodged 
back  to  await  results. 

John's  good  spirit  unconsciously  guided  him  to  the 
right  place  this  time,  for,  as  he  stooped  to  pluck  a  small 
flower,  he  caught  sight  of  Allie's  eyes  laughing  at  him 
through  the  leaves  he  was  about  to  pluck,  and  in  another 
instant  all  were  inside  the  cave  together. 

"  I  declare,"  exclaimed  John,  "  no  one  would  ever  find 
you  here  in  this  world,  if  you  should  ever  want  to  hide  j 


324  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

but  let's  go  on  and  see  what  we  can  find.  Are  your  guns 
loaded  for  bears  ?  " 

As  he  said  this,  John  deposited  the  basket  in  a  safe 
place,  first  taking  out  a  tallow  candle,  which  he  proceeded 
to  fasten  in  an  inclined  position  to  a  small  stick  which 
he  carried,  and  then  to  light. 

"All  on  board  for  Luray  Caverns  and  Mammoth 
Cave,"  shouted  John. 

"  Bears  ahoy  ! "  added  Allie,  and  the  three  boys  began 
carefully  to  rise. 

"  There  !  I'm  standing  up ! "  cried  Freddie,  some  yards 
in  advance ;  "  and  I  can't  reach  the  top  yet.  Hurry  up 
with  the  light." 

A  few  paces  from  the  entrance  the  boys  found  that 
not  only  could  they  stand  upright,  but  that  there  were 
several  feet  to  spare  beween  them  and  the  roof  of  the 
cavern;  the  room  in  which  they  were  was  as  near 
round  as  such  a  place,  with  its  jagged  and  loose  rocks 
all  around  and  above  and  below,  could  be ;  it  grew  nar- 
rower to  the  entrance,  about  a  rod  from  them,  and  flat- 
tened somewhat  at  the  sides  toward  the  waterfall,  which 
they  could  plainly  see  from  where  they  stood. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  wall,  toward  the  heart  of 
the  mountain,  the  walls  also  narrowed,  and  in  the  dis- 
tance the  boys  could  catch  a  glance  of  something  that 
reflected  like  the  surface  of  a  mirror. 

"  Eva's  lake,  I  declare,"  exclaimed  Fred.  "  I  wish  Mr. 
Taylor  was  here." 

Preceded  by  John,  who  carried  the  torch,  they  then 
passed  through  a  dark,  narrow  passage,  the  stones  at  the 
bottom  of  which  formed  a  flight  of  steps,  that  increased 
in  height  as  they  descended,  until  they  came  into  an  im- 
mense natural  cavern,  arched  and  roofed  overhead,  and 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  325 

all  black  in  front  of  them.  The  walls  came  down  with 
ragged  sides  close  to  the  floor  of  the  cavern,  which  was 
covered  everywhere  with  chipped  blocks  of  various  shapes 
and  sizes,  mostly  with  flat  surfaces,  except  just  to  the 
right  of  the  center,  where  the  trickling  water  had  formed 
itself  into  a  regular  pond  of  size  and  shape  corresponding 
to  the  cavern  in  which  it  was  situated,  but  with  its  water 
as  black  as  ink. 

"I  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  John,  and  his  voice 
sounded  hollow,  and  strangely  compressed  and  faint,  "sup- 
posing our  candle  should  give  out  ?  What  should  we 
do  ?  I'm  not  going  any  further  until  Mr.  Taylor  comes  ; 
let's  go  back  and  get  him ;  'twill  be  ever  so  much  better 
to  do  so." 

As  the  vote  was  unanimous,  the  boys  turned  and  fled 
for  the  opening,  like  startled  deer. 

"  Let's  go  down  the  ravine,  and  see  if  we  can  find  him," 
said  Freddie,  now  fully  recovered  from  his  fright. 

To  this,  also,  all  consented  unanimously ;  and  so  they 
crowded  past  the  waterfall  and  began  to  descend  the 
chasm. 

There  were  several  interesting  places  that  the  boys 
would  have  liked  to  examine  on  their  way  down,  but 
they  were  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  stop  for  them  then. 
At  one  place  a  flight  of  natural  breaks  in  the  wall  pre- 
sented a  series  of  steps  to  the  top  of  the  chasm.  John 
believed  that  he  could  get  to  the  top  of  this  without 
much  difficulty  and,  as  usual,  offered  to  bet  almost  any- 
thing in  his  possession  with  Freddie  that  he  could  do  it. 
At  another  time,  apparently  rare  ferns  and  flowers  grew 
in  large  clusters  on  both  sides  of  the  wall.  The  attrac- 
tions multiplied  as  they  proceeded,  until  at  length  they 
could  see  the  outside  world  again,  and  had  no  difficulty 


326  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

in  distinguishing  in  a  tall,  solitary,  dark  figure,  just 
ahead  of  them,  the  form  of  Mr.  Taylor. 

The  solemn  array  of  the  three  boys  walking  slowly 
along,  down  the  ascent,  in  Indian  file,  and  bearing  a 
lighted  torch,  — which  John  had  not  yet  extinguished,  — 
was  enough  to  appal  the  senses  of  any  one,  and  especially 
of  a  man  of  a  nervous  temperament. 

Mr.  Taylor  looked  up  suddenly,  and  caught  sight  of 
them  when  he  was  least  expecting  it,  and  his  hearty, 
rousing  "  Great  Scott,  boys !  what's  the  matter  ?  "  scared 
them  so  that  John  dropped  his  candle  into  the  water, 
which  immediately  extinguished  it,  and  all  came  to  such 
an  unexpected  halt  that  Mr.  Taylor  repeated  his  ex- 
clamation : 

"  Great  Scott !  don't  scare  the  life  out  of  me.  Speak, 
some  one ! " 

"  We  are  all  here,  safe  and  sound,"  exclaimed  Allie. 

"  Well,  I  should  think  so.  I  thought  it  was  a  funeral 
train,  or  one  of  Washington  Irving's  bands  of  Castilian 
Moors  resurrected.  What's  the  matter,  anyway  ?  " 

As  no  one  else  seemed  to  answer,  Allie  spoke  up  and 
said: 

"Nothing's  the  matter,  Mr.  Taylor,  except  that  we 
have  found  an  awfully  big,  dark  cave,  and  we  want  you 
to  come  and  help  us  to  explore  it." 

Mr.  Taylor  took  in  the  situation  at  once,  and,  throwing 
back  his  head  he  haw-hawed,  long  and  loud. 

"Well,  well,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor;  and  after  a 
good  hearty  laugh,  concluding  that  there  were  no  more 
trout  in  the  stream  between  him  and  the  falls,  laid  aside 
his  fishing-rod,  wound  up  his  lines,  placed  them  in  his 
pocket,  and  prepared  to  accompany  the  boys.  Picking 
up  a  good-sized,  rounded  pebble  that  happened  in  his 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  327 

way,  he  remarked,  with  a  characteristic  and  peculiar  toss 
of  his  head : 

"  There ;  that's  the  kind  of  a  weapon  to  hit  anything 
with.  Come  on,  now,  boys." 

The  boys  led  the  way,  at  once,  back  into  the  ravine 
and  toward  the  cave,  Mr.  Taylor  following  in  the  rear, 
tossing  his  stone  from  one  hand  to  the  other,  as  if  to  test 
its  handiness,  and  examining  the  curious  structure  of  the 
ravine  itself. 

"You  ought  to  get  a  number  of  new  varieties  of 
plants  here,  boys,"  he  remarked,  after  a  long  interval  of 
silence,  during  which  the  group  plodded  slowly  along 
over  the  inequalities  of  the  way ;  "  I  can  count  as  many 
as  a  dozen  without  stopping  or  giving  myself  much 
trouble  about  it;  you  ought  to  come  here  with  your 
botany  cans." 

"  We  mean  to,  sometime,  when  we  can  get  the  time," 
said  Allie.  "We  are  too  much  excited  about  our  cave, 
just  now,  to  think  of  much  of  anything  else." 

"  Your  cave,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  sarcastically ;  "  I'm  pre- 
pared to  see  a  small  hole  several  feet  square,  with  rock 
all  around  it,  save  at  the  entrance — a  capital  abode  for 
bears  and  carcajous ;  perhaps  we  shall  come  across  one 
there  ;  who  knows  ?  " 

As  no  one  answered  this  tremendous  question,  it  was 
doubtless  presumed  that  no  one  knew,  arrd  so  the  subject 
passed. 

"  Aye  !  look  !  see  there ! "  cried  Mr.  Taylor. 

Everybody  paused  at  once  as  if  some  great  danger 
threatened. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "  'twas  only  a  trout  there 
in  that  pool ;  I  have  a  great  mind  to  stop  and  fish  here  j 
I  believe  that  we  might  catch  some  fish." 


328  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"Oh,  don't,  Mr.  Taylor,"  pleaded  Freddie;  "do  come 
on  with  us." 

"  He's  coming,"  said  Allie ;  "  he  is  only  trying  to 
bother  us." 

"  Great  Scott ! "  exclaimed  that  gentleman,  "  I  believe 
that,  in  this  country,  the  smaller  the  stream  the  better 
the  fishing;  we  have  scared  up  no  less  than  five  good- 
sized  trout  since  we  entered  this  ravine,  and  the  stream 
is  so  small  that  it  didn't  look  worth  throwing  the  line 
into  ;  we  must  come  back  here  and  try  for  fish." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  falls,  and,  with 
much  difficulty,  succeeded  in  crowding  past  the  water, 
into  the  opening. 

"  Great  Scott ! "  ejaculated  Mr.  Taylor,  for  about  the 
hundredth  time,  "this  is  quite  a  hole,  and  no  mistake. 
How  many  candles  have  you  ?  " 

"  Three,"  replied  John ;  "  one  apiece  for  us  boys." 

"  And  none  for  me  ?  How  did  you  think  /  was  going 
to  get  along  ?  by  burning  matches  ?  Well,  never  mind ; 
now  give  me  one  of  them." 

John  found  the  basket  and  passed  the  candle  to  Mr. 
Taylor. 

"There  now,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "fasten  the  one  on 
your  stick  tight,  and  light  it,  and  go  on." 

John  did  as  requested,  and  soon  they  had  passed 
through  the  opening  into  the  cave  itself. 

"  Well,  this  is  quite  a  place,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  examin- 
ing its  sides,  walls,  and  general  structure  carefully  and 
as  well  as  the  dim  light  of  the  candle  would  permit. 
"  Now  to  business."  As  he  said  this  he  selected  a  loca- 
tion in  the  wall  near  the  entrance,  as  high  up  as  he  could 
reach,  where,  on  a  small  flat  projection  of  rock,  he  first 
turned  his  candle,  which  he  had  lighted  from  John's, 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  329 

until  a  small  quantity  of  hot  tallow  had  dropped  upon 
the  rock,  then  quickly  pressing  the  bottom  of  the  candle 
into  it  he  held  it  firmly  until  it  had  hardened.  "  There ; 
now  we  have  an  objective  point,  from  which  to  go  and  to 
which  we  may  return.  Now  put  the  other  candle  care- 
fully in  your  pocket,  and  let's  go  forward." 

Mr.  Taylor  then  took  the  torch  from  John  and  held  it 
up  over  him ;  the  roof  of  the  cavern  was  not  high,  and 
the  rocks  could  be  easily  seen,  but  beyond  all  was  dark- 
ness. 

"  Come  on,  then,"  said  Mr.  Taylor.  "  Have  your 
matches  handy  in  case  the  torch  goes  out ;  here,  give  me 
a  few.  We  can  see  the  candle  at  the  mouth  there  a  good 
distance  if  we  go  in  a  straight  line,  but  if  we  can't  we 
are  as  bad  off  as  if  we  didn't  have  it  at  all." 

When  the  party  had  proceeded  onward  a  few  rods,  and 
past  the  lake,  as  the  boys  persisted  in  calling  it,  the 
walls  at  the  sides  began  to  converge  again,  and  soon 
presented  another  narrow  opening. 

Here  it  was  found  that  the  passage  divided;  at  the 
left  the  opening  seemed  larger  and  extended  for  a 
distance  on  in  the  same  direction ;  at  the  right  there 
appeared  to  be  a  solid  wall  of  rock  close  to  the  opening. 
Holding  up  the  candle,  Mr.  Taylor  perceived  that  there 
was  a  sort  of  opening  or  open  space  above,  that  the 
rocks,  instead  of  being  a  solid,  perpendicular  wall,  in- 
clined somewhat,  and  that  with  a  little  difficulty  the 
wall  might  be  climbed. 

"  Where  shall  we  go  ?  "  remarked  Mr.  Taylor,  "  to  the 
left  or  to  the  right  ?  " 

"  To  the  right,"  cried  all  the  boys.  "  Climb  the  steps, 
and  we  will  follow." 

It  took  some  minutes  of  hard  scrambling  before  the 


330  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

top  was  reached,  and  when  it  was,  the  candle  showed  a 
wide,  low,  flat-bottomed  cavern  that  extended,  much  like 
the  loft  of  a  large  hay  barn,  back,  how  far  no  one  knew. 

After  a  short  rest  the  party  went  forward  several 
rods,  when  a  loud  sputtering  and  sissing  noise,  a  pair  of 
coal-like  eyes,  and  the  wild  dash  of  some  savage  animal, 
brought  them  suddenly  up  standing.  It  caused  even 
Mr.  Taylor  to  be  unnerved  for  a  moment,  and  dropping 
the  torch,  all  rushed  back  for  the  opening,  the  strange 
animal  snarling,  and  making  repeated  forward  dashes 
at  them  only  to  retreat  again,  until  everything  was  one 
grand  scene  of  confusion.  Having  turned  the  corner, 
they  no  longer  had  the  light  of  their  candle  to  guide 
them,  so  that  they  could  not  even  tell  how  near  the 
passage-way  to  the  lower  cavern  they  might  be.  Their 
own  candle  had  gone  out,  and  the  momentary  fear  of  the 
strange  and  unknown  animal  that  was  attacking  them 
caused  a  general  stampede. 

"Great  Scott!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  who  was  the 
first  to  regain  his  presence  of  mind. 

Another  great  rush  and  spitting. 

"  Give  me  that  gun,  you  useless  scarecrow  of  a  nuisance 
of  a  small  boy,"  shouted  he  to  Allie.  "  What  have  you 
got  in  her  ?  " 

"  Double  B's,"  Allie  managed  to  whisper,  handing  the 
gun  over,  glad  to  find  someone  with  courage  enough  to 
master  the  situation. 

"Both  barrels?" 

"Yes." 

Mr.  Taylor  took  the  gun,  cocked  one  barrel,  and  awaited 
the  next  onslaught  of  the  strange  and  savage  animal  that 
had  retreated  into  the  darkness  of  the  cavern. 

A  few  moments  of  silence  ensued,  when,  with  a  savage 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  331 

spit,  on  it  rushed  again.  Aiming  directly  at  its  eyes,  Mr. 
Taylor  pulled  the  trigger. 

The  report  resounded  loud  enough  to  wake  the  dead. 
It  almost  deafened  the  boys,  and  even  Mr.  Taylor  him- 
self dropped  the  gun  and  clapped  his  hands  over  his 
ears  to  stop  the  ringing  sensation ;  but  that  was  not  all. 
The  boys  were  still  on  the  floor  of  the  cavern  when  two, 
it  seemed  to  them  twenty-two,  small,  furry,  lively  little 
bodies,  dashed  out  into  their  midst  and  began  to  claw  and 
spit  in  great  style.  At  the  same  time  an  angry  snarl,  and 
another  dash  from  the  interior  of  the  cave,  followed  by 
a  second  report  of  the  gun,  caused  such  a  commotion  that 
it  was  again  some  minutes  before  quiet  was  restored. 

The  boys,  on  finding  that  the  small,  furry  animals 
could  do  no  harm,  had  secured  them ;  Mr.  Taylor  re- 
lighted the  torch,  and  after  depositing  the  candle,  also 
lighted,  in  a  niche  of  the  wall,  was  proceeding  toward 
the  interior  of  the  cavern. 

"  There ;  I  guess  we've  cleaned  'em  all  out,"  said  that 
gentleman.  "  Two  cats  don't  generally  breed  in  the  same 
place." 

"  Two  what  ?  "  cried  Allie,  who  had  regained  the  use 
of  his  tongue  and  his  breath,  in  spite  of  the  dense, 
almost  suffocating  gun-powder  smoke,  filling  the  air  of 
the  cavern. 

"Cats  ! "  ejaculated  Mr.  Taylor,  from  the  inner  recesses 
of  the  cave.  "  Canada  lynx !  Here,  come  in  here,  you 
good-for-nothing  lazy  fellows !  what  are  you  afraid  of 
now  ?  Come  in  here  and  help  me." 

Freddie  remained,  holding  the  two  young  cats,  for  such 
they  proved  to  be,  and  John  and  Allie  started  into  the 
cavern  after  Mr.  Taylor. 

"Where's  that  stick?"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 


332  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Here,"  shouted  John,  handing  him  the  stick  which  he 
had  used  as  a  walking-stick  all  the  way. 

A  tremendous  screech  and  several  heavy  blows  fol- 
lowed, and  then  all  was  still ;  and  Mr.  Taylor  appeared, 
dragging  after  him,  by  the  hind-leg,  a  huge,  grayish- 
furred  animal,  which  he  deposited  near  the  boys,  and 
returned ;  presently  he  emerged  again,  bringing  a  second 
animal,  similar  in  size  and  appearance  to  the  first. 

"  There,  now,"  said  he,  "  let's  get  out  of  here,  and  into 
the  air ;  I'm  about  choked  to  death." 

Taking  the  animals  and  candles  with  them,  they  had 
soon  descended  the  rude  step-like  passage,  and  reached 
the  larger  cavern ;  from  thence  they  passed  into  the 
smaller  one. 

Besting  here  for  a  few  moments,  and  refreshing  them- 
selves from  the  water  of  the  falls,  which  was  very  clear 
and  cold,  they  all  crawled  out  into  the  air,  taking  the 
animals,  and  the  basket  of  provisions  with  them. 

"  Whew ! "  exclaimed  Freddie ;  "  I  can  hardly  see." 

All  the  boys  rubbed  their  eyes,  and  even  Mr.  Taylor 
indulged  freely  in  his  favorite  ejaculation. 

"  Well,  boys,"  exclaimed  he,  "  I  think  we  have  earned 
our  dinners ;  let's  see  what  you  have  got  in  that  basket." 

While  John  was  opening  the  basket,  and  spreading 
out  the  contents  on  a  clean  rock  near  by,  Mr.  Taylor  was 
talking  about  the  animals  recently  captured. 

"There,  now,  we  can  begin  the  fur  business  in  good 
style,"  said  he,  "with  two  lynx  skins  in  capital  condi- 
tion, and  two  kits.  We'd  better  tie  the  little  animals,  or 
they  may  get  away." 

Producing  a  stout  piece  of  twine,  he  quickly  made  a 
pair  of  artificial  muzzles,  which  with  some  difficulty  he 
succeeded  in  slipping  over  the  noses  of  the  kittens,  who 


EXPLORING    THE    CAVE.  333 

stoutly  resisted,  spitting  and  scratching  most  vigorously 
meanwhile.  Then  passing  it  around  their  necks,  he  fas- 
tened it,  and  then  tied  the  other  ends  of  the  cord  to  a 
small  spruce  shrub  near  by.  They  were  beautiful  little 
animals,  with  long,  gray,  downy  fur,  and  with  wild, 
sparkling  eyes.  They  were  just  old  enough  to  have  a 
will  of  their  own,  and  they  struggled,  and  spat,  and 
clawed,  and  rolled  over  and  over  in  perfect  fits  of  fury, 
much  to  the  amusement  of  all.  The  two  large  cats 
were  immense  creatures,  with  long,  spotted  fur  of  a  gray 
and  white  mixture,  and  long  pointed  ears,  well  furred 
behind.  The  legs  were  unusually  stout  for  the  length 
of  the  animals,  and  their  paws  large  and  furred  to  the 
very  tips  with  tufts  of  soft  fur. 

"Do  get  that  dinner  ready,"  sung  out  Allie. 

"  So  I  say,"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 

"I  was  only  going  after  some  water,"  said  John. 

"  Never  mind  water,"  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  "  when  there 
is  such  spruce  beer  as  this." 

The  provisions  were  now  all  arranged  on  the  stone, 
and  each  proceeded  to  help  himself. 

A  pot  of  apple  sauce  began  rapidly  to  vanish,  as  did 
also  an  immense  pile  of  sandwiches ;  and  some  large 
pieces  of  brown  pound  cake  and  cheese  that  Max  had 
added  to  the  plentiful  supply,  disappeared  like  so  many 
wafers  before  the  hunters  and  cavern  explorers. 

"I  haven't  relished  anything  so  much  since  I  was  a 
small  boy,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  "  and  used  to  sit  up 
nights  to  read  Mayne  Eeid's  'Bear  Hunters,'  and  'The 
Cliff  Climbers,'  and  such  like  stories.  It  is  really  most 
interesting  and  exciting,  and  quite  realizes  some  of  my 
youthful  dreams.  Hurry  the  scraps  now  into  the  basket 
there,  and  let's  go  back ;  perhaps  we  may  meet  with 


334  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

some  other  adventure,  as  we  have  not  yet  discovered  the 
end  of  either  branch  of  our  cavern." 

When  they  had  finished,  and  John  had  collected  to- 
gether the  remaining  pieces  and  put  them  in  the  basket, 
all  re-entered  the  cave.  Mr.  Taylor  groped  his  way  to 
the  second  entrance  of  the  cave,  lighted  the  candle  and 
fastened  it  where  it  would  shed  its  rays  on  the  falls, 
and  up  the  rough  stairway  and  far  out  to  the  left  ex- 
tension in  front  of  them. 

"  Let's  follow  out  the  loft  first,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  this 
time  taking  the  lighted  torch  from  John,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded in  advance,  bearing  it  so  as  to  reveal  the  extent 
of  the  walls  of  the  cave.  "  Come  on." 

The  party  proceeded  on  in  silence  for  a  number  of 
rods,  when  both  the  torch  and  its  bearer  came  to  a  halt. 

"We  can't  get  any  further  here,"  said  Mr.  Taylor, 
"it's  all  solid  rock." 

A  mass  of  stones,  small  sticks,  and  a  good  deal  of  fur, 
with  one  or  two  small  bones,  probably  the  bed  of  the 
lynxes,  in  one  corner  of  the  floor,  were  all  that  could  be 
found. 


SOME  INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  335 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RETURNING    HOME,    MR.    TAYLOR    GIVES    THE    BOYS    SOME 
BITS    OF    INTERESTING    INFORMATION. 


let's  take  the  other  side,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  as 
he  turned,  and  the  whole  party  descended  to  the 
floor  below.  —  "  What  a  capital  place  to  hide  in  ;  no  one 
would  ever  think  of  finding  us  here.  They  would  pass 
by  this  opening,  without  ever  thinking  there  was  an 
upper  cave,  and  go  right  on  in  the  lower  cavern.  Now 
let's  see  what  we  can  find  here  !  " 

They  were  here  aided  by  a  double  light  :  the  candle, 
just  inside  the  entrance  to  the  second,  really  the  third 
room  to  the  cavern,  and  the  torch  which  they  bore. 
With  this  double  light  it  did  not  take  long  to  come  to 
the  extremity  of  the  left  division  of  the  cave,  which 
ended  in  a  good-sized  opening  in  the  face  of  an  almost 
perpendicular  cliff,  overlooking  the  long  point  of  land 
which  separated  the  bay  from  the  sea.  Through  the 
opening  poured  quite  a  heavy  stream  of  water,  flowing 
through  the  rocks  at  the  right,  just  inside  the  entrance. 
Then  it  dashed  down  the  precipitous  rocks,  fully  one  hun- 
dred feet,  before  it  formed  itself  into  a  stream  that  was 
lost  in  the  growth  of  spruce  and  other  vegetation  below. 

"  Well,  boys  !  "  said  Mr.  Taylor.  "  We  have  really 
done  ourselves  proud.  A  capital  place  to  live  in,  pro- 
vided there  were  no  other  quarters.  And,  at  any  rate,  a 
capital  place  for  a  day's  pleasuring  for  the  ladies  ;  we 
must  have  them  up  here." 


336  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  How  can  we  get  them  up  here  ?  "  queried  Freddie, 
gazing  at  the  precipitous  descent  from  the  cave's  mouth. 

"  Oh,  they  can  get  up  here,  with  a  little  trouble  !  "  re- 
plied Mr.  Taylor.  "  I  think  we  can  help  them  up  without 
much  difficulty.  And,  if  not,  we  might  turn  the  stream 
of  water  at  the  falls  sufficiently  to  let  them  pass  there ;  I 
am  sure  they  would  enjoy  it  all  the  more,  coming  through 
the  ravine,  or  coming  up  here  and  returning  through  the 
ravine ;  and  the  walking  there  is  not  difficult." 

"Hooray!"  exclaimed  Freddie.  "What  day  shall  it 
be  ?  the  picnic  I  mean." 

"We  must  let  the  ladies  arrange  that,"  said  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, "  they  can  tell  best  when  it  will  be  most  convenient 
for  them." 

"  Hooray  for  Wild  Cat  Cave  ! "  shouted  Allie. 

The  boys  all  responded,  most  heartily,  and  even  Mr. 
Taylor  gave  his  hat  a  patronizing  toss  around  his  head. 

"  Now,  if  we  wished  to  be  very  secret  here,"  said  Allie, 
"  we  could  pile  some  rocks  in  the  mouth,  just  inside  the 
opening,  and  if  anybody  came,  they  would  think  that 
there  was  no  cave  at  all,  but  only  a  path  for  the  water." 

"We  could  do  the  same  at  the  falls,  too,"  said  Freddie. 
"  Then  nobody  would  find  us,  if  John  couldn't  when  we 
were  only  six  feet  away  from  him.  We  could  bar  up 
the  inside  of  the  other  entrance,  and  then  live  here  all 
by  ourselves." 

"  You  boys  have  certainly  found  a  very  secret  place,  if 
occasion  should  ever  require  us  to  use  it.  It  is  probably 
secure  from  everything,  save  earthquakes ;  and  they  say 
earthquakes  do  sometimes  reach  as  far  as  this  benighted 
coast." 

"  But  where  are  we,  anyway ! "  exclaimed  Freddie  to 
Mr.  Taylor. 


SOME  INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  337 

"Well!  we  are  probably  on  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
where  we  started  for,  somewhere,  but  no  one  can  tell 
just  where;  whether  at  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of 
Belle  Isle,  or  much  farther  down  the  coast,  near  Cape 
Whittle.  We  are  near  one  of  these  two  places,  without 
any  doubt." 

"  Well,  I  only  hope  we  won't  have  to  go  home  until 
after  the  summer  has  passed,"  said  Allie.  "We  are 
having  too  good  a  time  to  want  to  lose  it,  —  so  far,  at 
least." 

"I  think  you  have  made  a  capital  beginning  of  the 
season's  sport,  and  we  are  already  as  finely  established 
as  if  we  had  been  living  here  a  year,  or  more,  and  all 
ready  for  the  fishery  ;  but  let  us  return  home,  it  is  get- 
ting well  into  the  afternoon,  and,  with  our  load,  we  can 
reach  home  in  time  to  have  not  only  your  curlew  pot-pie, 
but  also  some  fresh  trout,  too.  I  left  a  string  of  about  a 
dozen  in  a  small  pool  near  where  my  rod  is." 

The  boys  now,  reluctantly,  retraced  their  steps  and 
prepared  to  return  home. 

"  Now  I  will  take  one  of  the  cats  on  my  shoulder  and 
go  down  the  ravine  after  my  pole  and  trout,"  said  Mr. 
Taylor,  "  and  meet  you  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  You  can 
take  the  kittens,  tie  them  into  the  basket,  and  carry  the 
other  cat  between  you  and  meet  me  there." 

This  was  assented  to,  and  the  larger  of  the  two  cats 
was  dragged  through  the  opening  of  the  cave  to  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, who  immediately  threw  it  over  his  shoulder  and 
started  after  his  fish  and  pole,  down  the  ravine. 

The  boys,  after  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  succeeded  in 
tying  the  legs  of  the  kittens  and  fastening  them  securely 
into  the  basket.  Fred  carried  the  basket,  and  Allie  and 
John  took  hold  of  the  fore  and  hind  legs  of  the  large, 


338  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR 

and  really  heavy  cat,  and,  carrying  it  between  them,  all 
went  down  the  hill  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  determined 
to  reach  there,  if  possible,  before  Mr.  Taylor. 

The  lynx  was  really  much  heavier  than  the  boys  had 
imagined;  and,  in  carrying  it  down  the  hillside,  they 
were  obliged  to  make  frequent  stops,  so  that  by  the  time 
they  had  reached  the  bottom  of  the  descent  they  found 
Mr.  Taylor  patiently  waiting  for  them  with  his  pole  over 
his  shoulder,  and  a  string  of  nice,  large  trout  in  his  hand. 

"  Well,  boys !  All  ready  for  home  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Taylor. 

"  Yes,  sir  ! "  replied  John. 

"  Well,  then,  let's  hurry ;  'tis  getting  on  toward  sup- 
per-time, and  they'll  be  waiting  for  us.  You  know  we 
told  them  that  we  would  be  sure  to  be  back  for  supper." 

"  Mr.  Taylor  ! "  asked  Freddie.  "  Don't  the  Indians 
eat  these  animals  ?  It  seems  as  if  I  had  heard,  some- 
where, that  they  did." 

"  Oh,  yes !  they  are  really  very  good  eating,  I  believe. 
We  will  try  it,  at  any  rate.  Max  will  cook  a  small  bit 
for  us,  and  then  we  will  test  it.  It  is  not  a  rule,  how- 
ever, that  everything  that  an  Indian  eats  is  good  for  a 
white  man.  The  Indians  will  eat  foxes,  they  say,  when 
they  can  get  nothing  else  for  food.  You  see  the  Indi- 
ans here  are  somewhat  different  from  those  in  other 
parts  of  the  country.  They  are  poor,  unsociable  crea- 
tures; half-fed,  and  consequently  half-starved.  In  the 
winter  they  can  scarcely  get  enough  to  keep  the  life  in 
their  bodies,  and  so  they  get  used  to  eating  the  animals 
that  they  secure  by  traps  and  with  their  guns  for  their 
fur.  The  animal  thus  serves  a  double  purpose ;  and,  I 
believe,  that  even  the  bones,  mashed  up,  are  made  into 
soup  which  contains  a  little  nourishing  matter.  The 


SOME  INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  339 

Indians,  they  tell  me,"  continued  Mr.  Taylor,  "  consider 
the  flesh  of  the  beaver  and  of  the  otter  the  best ;  they 
also  eat  the  martin,  and  the  badger,  though  I  am  not  so 
sure  about  the  latter.  You  will  have  no  doubt  but  that 
they  live  on  almost  anything  that  they  can  get,  when 
you  come  to  see  them.  They  are  dirty,  indolent,  hungry- 
looking  fellows.  Their  cheek-bones  are  quite  prominent, 
and  their  cheeks  full  and  flabby ;  their  eyes  are  dark 
and  lusterless;  their  hair  black,  coarse,  and  falls  so 
naturally  on  either  side  and  around  the  head  as  to  look 
more  like  a  wig  than  a  natural  head  of  hair.  Some  of 
them  have  short,  bristly  moustaches,  and  some  whiskers 
of  the  same  kind,  but  I  do  not  seem  to  recollect  that  any 
I  saw  had  both." 

"  How  do  you  know  so  much  about  them,  Mr.  Taylor  ?  " 
asked  Allie. 

"  Oh,  you  forget  that  I  have  been  here  a  number  of 
times  before,  and  have  seen  them,  —  and  ate,  slept,  and 
traded  with  them.  I  spent  six  weeks  of  one  spring, 
almost  entirely  with  them,  —  that  is,  I  sailed  with  a 
trader  who  dealt  in  furs  among  them;  they  came  on 
board  from  morning  to  night,  and  gave  their  furs  in 
exchange  for  tea,  molasses,  flour,  butter,  clothes,  and  all 
sorts  of  trade,  including  guns  and  ammunition.  And  a 
very  curious  fact  is,  that  the  smaller  the  bore  of  the  gun, 
and  I  believe  too  the  longer  the  barrel,  the  better  they 
liked  it.  An  Indian  shoots  twice  as  heavy  a  charge  in 
his  gun  as  we  would,  and  yet  seldom  meets  with  an 
accident.  They  shoot  all  the  wild  animals,  bear  and 
deer,  large  gulls  and  seabirds  with  heavy  wings  and 
protected  with  thick  mattings  of  feathers,  and  at  seals, 
and  they  seldom  miss  their  game.  They  have  thus  made 
hunting  a  science,  and  will  shoot  fourteen  bore  double  or 


340  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR, 

single  barrelled  guns,  with  large  shot,  and  often  with 
balls  besides.  An  Indian  loads  his  gun  with  a  heavy 
charge  of,  say,  BB  shot  for  ordinary  game.  If  he  sees  a 
deer,  or  a  bear,  or  seal,  he  will  drop  one  or  even  two 
balls,  just  a  size  smaller  than  the  bore  of  his  gun,  into 
the  barrel,  and  fire  the  whole  charge  at  the  animal; 
but  look  at  that  immense  flock  of  gulls  on  the  water 
there  ! " 

"  Yes ! "  exclaimed  Allie.  "  I  can  see  .the  three  kinds, 
the  black-backed,  the  glaucus,  ice  gull  or  burgomaster, 
and  the  common  herring  gull;  but  tell  us  some  more 
about  the  Indians,  Mr.  Taylor;  we  are  all  very  much 
interested  in  knowing  about  them." 

"  There  is  another  queer  sort  of  food  that  the  Indians 
eat,"  continued  Mr.  Taylor,  "  and  the  poor  whites,  too, 
when  they  can  get  them,  and  have  nothing  better ;  that 
is  the  young  gulls.  It  is  the  old  ones  only,  they  say, 
that  taste  fishy ;  but  here  we  are  nearing  home,  and  you 
may  have  a  chance,  sometime,  to  see  the  Indians  your- 
selves, which  will  be  better  than  anything  that  I  can 
tell  you  about  them." 

"  I  don't  think  so !  "  said  Fred. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  wharf,  and  heard 
Eva  calling  to  them  from  the  house,  to  know  what  those 
great  gray  things  that  they  had  with  them  were. 

"  Rabbits  !  "  laughed  Fred. 

"  Oh,  what  big  rabbits  ! "  said  Eva,  who  always  be- 
lieved everything  Fred  told  her,  "and  what  little  ears 
they've  got.  Oh,  mamma!  come  and  see  the  big  rabbits 
that  the  boys  have  brought." 

Having  now  reached  the  house,  Allie  loosed  the  kittens 
and  let  them  run  to  the  end  of  their  string,  which  he 
tied  on  the  door  latch.  The  young  animals  immediately 


SOME  INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  341 

commenced  their  snarling  and  spitting  again,  scratching 
at  everything  that  came  near  them. 

"  Oh,  dear !  what  have  you  got  there  ! "  asked  Eva, 
excitedly. 

"  A  present  for  you  ! "  said  Fredli3. 

"  A  present  for  me  !  Oh !  what  a  pretty  and  what  a 
queer  present.  Are  they  young  rabbits  ?  " 

Everybody  in  the  room  laughed  so  long  and  so  heartily 
at  this,  that  Eva  was  at  first  undecided  whether  to  resent 
it,  or  to  let  it  pass  by  unnoticed.  She  only  remarked : 

"  Well,  Freddie  said  they  were  rabbits,  and  I  never 
saw  a  live  one  ;  how  should  /  know  !  " 

"  Cats  !  "  said  John.     « Is-s-s-s,  take  'em  !  " 

There  not  being  anything  to  take,  the  young  animals 
amused  themselves  by  retreating  into  the  corner  and 
spitting  defiance  at  their  imaginary  enemies. 

"  Go,  pet  them ! "  said  Allie.  "  I've  handled  them  all 
over,  — they  won't  hurt  you." 

Eva  went  up  to  them,  and,  after  a  little  timidity  on 
her  part,  took  one  of  them  in  her  arms ;  but  it  struggled 
and  fought  so  that  she  could  not  hold  it.  Mrs.  Benton 
also  came  in,  and  watched,  with  great  interest,  the  young 
animals,  and  also  instructed  Eva  where  and  how  to  make 
a  nice  bed  for  them. 

While  she  was  doing  this,  the  men  began  to  gather 
around  and  look  in  at  the  door  to  see  the  wild  cats,  both 
big  and  little,  and  hear  the  story  of  their  capture.  Mr. 
Taylor  told  it  all,  and  to  all :  of  the  finding  and  explor- 
ing of  the  cave,  the  way  in  which  he  had  been  frightened 
in  the  first  place,  the  dropping  of  their  light,  and  the 
scare  they  had  all  received. 

Everybody  was  excited ;  and  the  news  went  from  one 
to  another  until  soon,  the  whole  party  were  gathered 


342  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

about  the  door-way.  The  boys  were  heroes  for  first  dis- 
covering the  cave,  —  and  Fred  in  particular,  for  falling 
down  the  ravine  and  finding  it.  Mr.  Taylor's  skill  as  a 
hunter,  and  his  capabilities  to  "  master  the  situation," 
was  placed  at  once  beyond  dispute.  It  was  always  one 
of  his  pet  expressions  to  the  boys,  about  any  particular 
lesson ;  "  don't  come  to  recite,"  he  would  say,  "  until  you 
can  fully  master  the  situation." 

"  I  think !  Mr.  Taylor,"  said  one  of  the  boys,  "  that 
you  did  fully  master  the  situation,  this  time." 

"I  had  to,"  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  not  a  bit  conceited, 
but  laughing  at  this  turning  of  his  own  advice  upon  him- 
self. "I  had  to  master  it,  or  it  would  have  mastered 
me ;  and  two  full  grown  wild  cats  could  have  done  an 
immense  amount  of  clawing." 

"Well,  boys!"  laughed  Max.  "I  guess  you  will  be 
ready  for  your  '  entry '  of  pot-pie ;  here  it  is,  all  hot  and 
smoking,"  and  he  drew  out  of  the  oven  a  huge  dish,  all 
covered  over  with  rich,  brown  pie-crust,  and  set  it  on  the 
table.  "  But  if  you  don't  like  the  Quebec  Curlew,  as  you 
call  them,  perhaps  you  will  like  the  real  curlew  the  bet- 
ter ; "  and  he  drew  out  another  and  still  larger  dish,  which 
he  placed  on  the  other  end  of  the  table. 

"  Where  did  they  come  from ! "  cried  Allie. 

"  That  pie  you  got ! "  said  Max,  pointing  to  the  smaller 
one,  "and  that  pie,"  pointing  to  the  larger,  "the  men 
got  this  morning.  I  guess  they  found  the  flock  you 
were  hunting  in  a  cave  for,"  laughed  Max. 

The  rest  of  the  dinner  was  soon  on  the  table,  and  all 
sat  down,  four  ravenously  hungry  people  with  the  rest, 
and  began  to  dispose  of  the  good  food  that  had  been  pre- 
pared for  them. 

"  Oh,  yes  ! "  remarked   Mr.  Benton,  pleasantly,  when 


SOME   INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  343 

they  had  finished  their  supper,  "  I'll  give  you  $5  apiece 
for  the  fur.  I  can  cut  it  up  into  trimmings  and  make 
twice  that  on  each  skin,  easily." 

"People  don't  sell  many  things,  when  they're  cast 
away  on  desert  islands,"  said  Fred.  "I  don't  know 
whom  you  will  sell  them  to,  unless  it  be  to  the  gulls  to 
trim  their  feathers  with  when  they  get  them  dirty." 

"  How  will  the  gulls  pay  for  them  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Tay- 
lor. 

"  Why !  trade  eggs  for  them,"  cried  Fred. 

All  laughed  at  this  "desert  island"  wit,  which  put 
everybody  in  good  humor. 

"On  that  principle,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  smiling,  "don't 
you  trade,  as  you  can  get  the  eggs  anyway,  and  you 
had  better  not  give  away  something  of  value  for  some- 
thing that  you  can  get  without  trading  for  it." 

"  Sound  principle !  sound  principle ! "  chuckled  Mr. 
Benton.  "  I  don't  mind  it,  if  it  is  somewhat  against  my 
interests." 

"  Oh  dear ! "  sighed  Fred.  "What  is  the  use  of  having 
money,  anyway.  If  you  can  have  a  good  time,  and  have 
all  you  need  without  it,  why  should  people  fret  their 
lives  away  for  money." 

"You  are  getting  to  be  quite  a  philosopher,  Fred,"  said 
Allie. 

"It's  my  opinion,"  continued  Freddie,  not  heeding 
the  interruption,  "that  the  Indians  are  a  great  deal 
happier  than  a  great  many  of  the  white  people  around 
them.  In  summer  they  can  hunt  and  fish  and  have 
plenty  to  eat,  and  can  enjoy  themselves ;  and  in  the 
winter  they  hunt  and  trap.  I  believe  theirs  is  a  splendid 
manner  of  passing  life ;  I  almost  wish  I  was  an  Indian 
myself." 


344  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  You  might  go  where  the  Indians  are,"  remarked  Mr. 
Taylor,  "  and  have  the  chief  pick  you  out  a  fine,  smoky- 
faced,  dark-skinned  partner,  and  then  settle  down  with 
her,  and  turn  Indian.  Hunt  for  her,  make  love  to  her,  and 
fight  for  her.  Perhaps  you  might,  in  time,  aspire  to  be 
chief  of  the  Nasquapees  or  Montagnais.  Then  the  other 
Indians  would  hunt  for  you,  and  you  might  stay  at  home, 
in  your  wigwam,  and  live  in  a  lazy  and  inoffensive  man- 
ner, in  the  sunshine  of  Indian  indolence  and  easy  living, 
and  fancy  either  that  you  made  the  world,  or  that  the 
world  was  made  for  you,  or  both.  How  would  that  suit 
you  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  Oh,  that  would  be  first-rate ! "  laughed  Fred,  "  and 
you  could  come  up  here  to  trade  with  me,  and  I  would 
sell  you  the  seventh  class  furs  for  first  class  prices, 
and  send  you  home  again  to  meditate  upon  the  'poor 
Indian,' "  he  continued,  in  high  glee. 

Everybody  laughed  heartily,  at  this,  at  Mr.  Taylor's 
expense. 

"  Certainly,  but,  —  "  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  smiling,  "  my 
butter,  which  you  would  pay  fifty  cents  a  pound  for, 
would  be  oleomargarine  that  cost  me  three  cents  a 
pound  to  make,  and  my  lard  would  be  refuse  tallow 
from  the  candle  factory,  and  my  flour  the  refuse  from 
the  bakery,  and  my  salt-pork,  salt-horse." 

Another  laugh,  apparently,  annihilated  poor  Fred,  but 
he  answered,  however : 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  could  make  double  profit  then,  too,  by 
selling  you  the  seal  oil  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  send- 
ing to  Boston  for  your  oleomargarine,  and  would  be 
pretty  sure  of  what  I  was  eating." 

How  far  this  conversation  might  have  gone  on  is  not 
at  all  certain,  for,  at  that  moment,  Mrs.  Benton  stopped 


SOME   INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  345 

them  from  a  further  continuance  of  it  by  remarking  that, 
as  the  next  day  was  Sunday,  she  hoped  that  Max  would 
get  enough  wood  so  as  not  to  have  to  chop  any  during 
the  day. 

Mrs.  Benton's  religion  was  of  that  old  Puritan  type 
which  believed  that  "the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  not 
man  for  the  Sabbath."  That  "  six  days  shalt  thou  labor 
and  do  all  thy  work,  but  the  seventh  is  the  Sabbath  of 
the  Lord  thy  God,  in  it  thou  shalt  do  no  work,  etc." 
Thus  the  good  woman  sought  to  get  ready  on  Saturday 
for  Sunday,  and  when  Sunday  came,  to  "  keep  it  sacred." 

"  Yes'am  ! "  replied  Max,  "  I  have  plenty  wood  for  to- 
morrow, unless  it  rains,  and  then  I  shall  have  some  left 
over." 

The  boys  raised  such  a  shout  at  this,  that  Max  looked 
around  in  considerable  confusion  and  asked,  "What  did 
I  say  wrong  ?  Perhaps  I  should  have  said,  and  even 
then,  I  think,  I  shall  have  some  left  over." 

"  That  is  correct  and  better  English ; "  and  Mrs.  Ben- 
ton  nodded  her  head  approvingly  at  the  correction. 

At  last  supper  was  finished ;  an  hour  later  the  dishes 
had  all  been  washed  and  placed  on  their  shelves,  every- 
thing in  the  room  put  in  order,  the  young  wild  cats 
assigned  to  nice,  clean  quarters,  and  the  old  ones  hung 
up  outside  the  house,  on  some  nails,  as  high  as  could  be 
reached,  without  a  chair  or  ladder. 

"Not  that  any  one  or  anything  will  get  them,"  said 
Mr.  Taylor,  who  superintended  the  arrangement,  "but 
'tis  well  to  have  them  high  enough." 

"I  imagine  that  everybody  is  glad  to  have  Sunday 
come ! "  said  Mrs.  Benton.  "  We've  all  had  a  hard  week 
of  it,  we're  all  tired,  and  we  all  have  a  lot  of  work  to  do 
next  week." 


346  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"We  shall  begin  fishing  Monday,  Mr.  Keady,"  said  Mr. 
Benton. 

Since  arriving  on  shore  Mr.  Ready's  title  of  captain 
had  been  dropped,  almost  by  common  consent,  and  now, 
as  Fred  said,  the  title  of  "  Esquire  "  seemed  most  appro- 
priate "  on  account  of  the  amount  of  running  around  he 
did,  and  the  fatherly  advice  he  gave  others,"  and  "the 
small  amount  of  work  he  really  did  himself." 

"Ah!  yes,  sir!  I  think  it  is  about  time  to  try  the 
fishing,"  replied  Mr.  Ready,  with  a  chuckle ;  "  ten  quin- 
tals a  day  from  each  of  the  boats  ought  to  fill  us  up  well, 
and  we  ought  to  get  that,  if  there  is  anything  in  the 
shape  of  fish  around  here." 

"  I  suppose  everything  is  in  order  for  the  work,"  said 
Mr.  Benton. 

"  Yes !  I  believe  Mr.  Cooper  has  everything  ready  to 
start  the  men  off  early  Monday  morning." 

While  Mr.  Benton  and  Mr.  Ready  were  carrying  on  a 
conversation  about  codfish  and  the  fishery,  the  boys  had 
wandered  down  the  wharf  with  Mr.  Taylor  and  were 
trying  to  catch  enough  flounders,  or  "flat-fish,"  for  break- 
fast. 

"  If  we  could  only  get  the  bait  to  the  bottom  before 
the  pesky  little  tomcods  clean  it  off  the  hook,  we  might 
get  something,"  said  Allie. 

"  Put  on  an  awful  big  sinker,"  suggested  Fred,  "  then 
'twill  go  down  so  fast  they  can't  catch  it." 

"Risk  them!"  replied  Allie.  "They  would  all  be 
after  it  then ;  however,  I  will  try  it  once,"  he  added. 

There  was  a  huge  iron  bolt  lying  near,  and  this  Allie 
took  and  carefully  fastened  to  his  line,  by  a  couple  of 
half-hitches,  and  threw  it  over  the  edge  of  the  wharf 
into  the  water.  It  struck  with  a  splash  and  left  a  long 


SOME  INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  347 

line  of  bubbles,  that  were  slightly  phosphorescent  in  the 
twilight,  as  it  rushed  to  the  bottom ;  and  Allie  soon  had 
the  pleasure  of  hauling  up  an  immense  flounder;  this 
raised  the  number  to  nine. 

"There,  'tis  getting  too  late  to  fish,"  said  Allie,  "I'm 
going  to  quit,  and  go  to  bed.  I'm  tired  and  sleepy." 

And  he  hauled  in  his  line  and  wound  it  up  with  an  air 
of  utter  exhaustion.  The  other  boys  did  the  same,  and 
all  went  up  to  the  house  together. 

"  Mr.  Taylor ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  on  their  way  up 
the  hill,  "  what  is  a  carcajou  ?  " 

"What  is  it?  Why,  'tis  only  another  name  for  a 
badger.  It  is  the  Indian  name.  Their  fur  is  long, 
coarse,  and  black,  and  of  very  little  value,  now.  The 
animals  used  to  be  regarded  as  valuable  fur  animals, 
but  they  are  getting  scarcer  and  scarcer  along  the  coast, 
so  that  furriers,  they  tell  me,  do  not  average  half  a 
dozen  skins  a  season  where  they  used  to  find  them  by 
the  scores." 

"  Well ! "  said  Allie,  "  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  if  the 
different  kinds  of  foxes  are  all  different  species.  The 
white  fox  is  surely  a  different  kind  from  the  red,  and  the 
gray  and  black  from  either." 

"  There  you  are  wrong! "  remarked  Mr.  Taylor.  "They 
are  now  said  to  be  of  one  species,  and  the  common  red 
fox  the  father  of  them  all.  There  are  light  and  dark 
colored  skins  of  this  ;  then,  we  have  the  variety  known 
as  the  patch  fox,  which  is  only  a  darker  and  blacker 
form  of  the  red ;  after  that  the  cross  or  cross-patch,  with 
a  lighter  area  in  the  center  of  the  black,  in  the  form  of 
a  bar  down  the  back  and  another  across  the  fore-shoul- 
ders. The  gray  or  silver  gray  has,  according  as  it  is  a 
poor,  a  medium,  or  a  fine  skin,  each  hair  alternating  with 


348  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

dark  and  light  areas,  so  that  in  a  fine  skin  the  whole  fur 
has  the  appearance  of  being  silver  gray.  The  black  fox 
is  simply  a  very  dark  silver  gray,  and  is  pure  black  only 
in  very  fine  skins.  The  blue  fox  is  a  very  rare  one,  now, 
and  without  doubt  another  variety, — perhaps  a  cross  be- 
tween a  white  and  a  red  fox." 

"  And  the  white  fox  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"Well,  some  naturalists  try  to  make  that  a  distinct 
species,  and  others  hold  that  centuries  of  living  in  the 
Arctic  regions  has  changed  its  fur  and  dwarfed  its  size, 
and  that  it  is  nothing  but  a  variety  of  the  common  red 
fox,  after  all." 

"  I  wish  we  might  catch  a  white  fox  alive  ! "  said 
Freddie.  "  We  could  then  start  up  quite  a  menagerie." 

"  Or  a  young  red  fox  ! "  said  Allie.  "  My !  how  they 
would  fight  with  the  kittens." 

"  On  one  of  our  trips,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "  we  had  two 
young  foxes  on  board,  and  they  were  sharp  and  cunning 
enough.  We  had  quite  a  menagerie  that  trip.  There 
were  two  young  foxes,  four  young  dogs,  a  puffin,  three 
gulls :  —  That's  all,  I  believe,  but  they  kept  up  more 
racket  than  if  there  had  been  twice  as  many.  Oh,  yes  ! " 
said  Mr.  Taylor,  "  and  one  large,  full-grown  dog  besides. 
They  were  all  over  the  deck,  and  somebody  was  playing 
with  or  feeding  them  all  the  time." 

"  That  must  have  been  splendid  !  " 

"You  would  have  thought  so,"  laughed  Mr.  Taylor, 
"  if  you  had  seen  how  mad  the  captain  was  at  the  way 
the  deck  was  cluttered  up,"  and  he  laughed  again  at  the 
recollection. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  house,  and  in  a  few 
moments  the  tired  hunters  had  all  sought  their  bunks 
for  the  night.  About  midnight  the  rain  began  to  fall 


SOME  INTERESTING  INFORMATION.  349 

again;  and  it  rained  steadily  and  heavily  all  the  rest  of 
the  night  and  the  next  day. 

Sunday  morning  Mr.  Benton  conducted  a  little  service 
in  the  house,  and  in  the  afternoon  they  amused  them- 
selves with  their  books,  of  which  they  had  a  goodly 
number,  and  thus  the  day  passed,  and  night  came,  while 
the  rain  still  continued  to  fall  in  torrents  until  far  into 
the  night,  only  clearing  up  just  before  morning. 


350  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FISHING    FOB    COD. 

IT  was  three  o'clock  Monday  morning,  when  Mr.  Ready 
called  the  men,  and  bade  them  prepare  to  try  for 
codfish  ;  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  all  down  -and  eat- 
ing their  breakfast  of  hard  bread,  salt-beef,  and  hot  tea. 
Max  had  left  the  stove  full  of  wood  ready  to  light,  and 
the  kettle  full  of  water  and  tea  ready  to  be  made,  so 
that  there  was  really  very  little  to  do  save  to  start  the 
fire,  and  wait  until  the  kettle  boiled. 

"When  breakfast  was  completed,  the  men  placed  in 
each  boat  a  small  tea-pot,  a  few  sticks  of  wood  to  make 
a  fire  with,  and  in  the  locker  a  small  keg  of  water  and  a 
quantity  of  bread  and  beef.  This  was  to  constitute  their 
daily  ration.  They  were  to  row  to  the  fishing-grounds, 
though  in  this  case  they  had  first  to  find  where  these 
were,  fish  until  they  were  hungry,  then  make  a  little 
fire  on  the  heap  of  stones  in  the  central  partition  of  the 
boat,  boil  the  kettle,  make  their  tea,  and  eat  their  meal. 
A  very  small  box  or  bottle  of  sugar  or  molasses  was  also 
carried  to  sweeten  the  tea  with.  It  was  found  that  the 
men,  almost  without  exception,  preferred  molasses.  They 
would  often  pour  a  small  quantity  into  the  bottom  of 
their  pot  before  starting  out,  and  then  putting  in  their 
water  heat  the  two  together.  They  made  their  tea  by 
heating  the  water  until  it  boiled,  then  putting  in  their 
tea  and  removing  the  pot  from  the  fire,  letting  it  steep 


FISHING  FOR    COD.  351 

before  drinking  for  a  few  seconds  only.  In  this  way 
they  extracted  all  the  flavor  of  the  tea  and  none  of  the 
bitter  tannin  of  its  chemical  constituents. 

After  providing  for  their  meal  in  this  manner,  they 
put  their  lines,  hooks,  and  sinkers  in  the  boats,  and 
stowed  away  their  oil  clothes  in  the  lockers,  in  case  of 
rainy  or  foggy  weather,  and  then  started  off  to  find  bait. 

This  is  the  first  business  of  the  fisherman :  to  find  his 
bait.  This  consists  of  two  species  of  small  fish  —  the 
caperling  and  the  lance.  The  lance  are  long,  slim  fish, 
and  found  late  in  the  season.  The  caperling,  much  like 
our  smelts,  come  earlier  ;  and  it  was  these  for  which  the 
men  now  went  to  look.  If  they  could  once  find  where 
they  were,  there  would  doubtless  be  a  supply  of  bait  for 
the  season,  as  these  fish  seldom  go  far  away  from  their 
feeding-grounds  in  shoal  water. 

"  Well ! "  said  Mr.  Cooper,  as  they  got  into  their  boats 
and  pushed  off ;  "  now  for  a  hunt  for  bait !  Keep  a  sharp 
lookout  ahead,  there ! " 

"  Aye,  aye  ! "  shouted  the  seaman,  who  was  sitting  in 
the  stern  of  the  boat  with  a  large-handled  dip-net  near 
him.  "  We  will  get  them  if  there  are  any  here  to  get ; 
be  sure  of  that." 

The  boats  then  began  to  row  about  the  rocks  and 
channels  of  the  bay,  searching  here  and  there  for  the 
caperling,  but  all  in  vain. 

"  They  must  be  around  here,  somewhere ! "  said  Mr. 
Cooper,  "if  we  can  only  find  them.  If  we  find  the  bait, 
and  find  fishing-grounds  the  first  day,  we  shall  do  well ; 
but  if  we  can  load  the  boats,  too,  we  shall  do  better." 

"  We  ought  to  be  able  to  do  that,  sir ! "  said  one  of 
the  men. 

"A  pound  of  smoking  tobacco  to  the  man  who  first 


352  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

finds  bait !  "  sung  out  the  mate,  as  they  were  approach- 
ing a  cleared  space  just  inside  the  point  of  land  that 
separated  the  bay  from  the  waters  of  the  gulf  outside. 

"  Then  it's  mine,  sir ! "  cried  the  man  at  the  stern, 
with  the  net.  "  Hold  water ! "  and  he  plunged  in  his 
net  and  broiight  it  out  full  of  fish,  which  he  emptied 
in  the  boat.  Plunge  succeeded  plunge,  as  the  boat  fol- 
lowed the  school  about  from  place  to  place,  until  they 
had  secured  bait  enough  to  supply  all  hands  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day. 

"  There !  now  that  we  know  where  to  find  bait  when 
we  want  it,"  said  Mr.  Cooper,  "  one  point  is  settled  satis- 
factorily. Now  let's  see  if  we  can  find  the  fish  to  catch." 

While  he  had  been  speaking  they  had  gradually  ap- 
proached the  other  boats ;  then  they  divided  the  bait 
equally  among  them  all,  and  were  soon  off  again. 

"  A  pound  of  smoking  tobacco  ! "  shouted  Mr.  Cooper, 
"  to  the  man  who  finds  the  best  fishing-grounds." 

The  boat  that  contained  Mr.  Keady  and  the  boys  began 
immediately  to  separate  from  the  others,  and  to  pull 
for  the  position  where  the  boys  had  found  their  fish 
on  the  day  they  had  secured  so  many ;  the  other  boats 
pulled  in  different  directions,  and  soon  each  was  sepa- 
rated from  the  other. 

The  signal  for  finding  fish  was  to  be  the  holding  up  of 
a  hat,  on  the  end  of  an  oar-blade,  until  the  other  boats 
saw  it.  The  test  of  the  best  fishing-ground  was  to  be 
the  boat  that  loaded  and  started  for  home  full  first. 

The  boys'  boat  soon  reached  the  place  for  which  it  had 
aimed,  being  easily  located,  and  not  far  distant  from  the 
shore,  and  almost  before  the  line  had  touched  the  bottom 
Freddie  had  got  a  bite  and  succeeded  in  hauling  in  a 
good-sized  five-pounder,  —  the  first  fish  caught.  The  hat 


FISHING   FOR   COD.  353 

was  soon  waving  to  and  fro  on  the  end  of  the  oar,  and 
a  hearty  response,  in  the  shape  of  a  great  waving  of  hats, 
came  from  the  other  boats,  to  show  that  they  saw  the 
signal.  Then  began  the  sport.  Allie,  Freddie,  and  Mr. 
Ready  were  together,  and  they  had  all  they  could  do  to 
tend  to  their  lines,  the  fish  bit  so  voraciously. 

Mr.  Eeady  soon  threw  out  a  second  line,  so  that  he 
fished  from  one  side  of  the  boat  with  two  lines,  which  he 
hauled  in,  alternately,  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  each  time 
with  a  fish  on  the  end  of  it ;  the  boys,  with  a  line  each, 
fished  from  the  opposite  side,  and  drew  in  the  fish  there, 
equally  fast. 

As  none  of  the  other  boats  had  raised  any  signal,  as  yet, 
the  boys  were  unable  to  tell  if  they  had  found  any  fish. 
Both  of  the  other  boats  were  now  at  least  half  a  mile 
away.  The  boys  kept  on  fishing,  therefore,  in  silence,  for 
some  time,  until  Allie  hooked  an  immense  fellow  on  his 
line,  and  it  took  all  his  strength  to  haul  the  line.  Mr. 
Ready  came  to  his  aid,  however,  and  with  much  difficulty 
they  landed  a  huge  fellow  that  must  have  weighed  at 
least  fifty  pounds. 

The  boys  were  now  so  tired  that  they  sat  down,  leav- 
ing their  lines  out,  to  rest  and  eat  a  cracker,  while  Mr. 
Ready  continued  to  manage  all  four  lines,  hauling  each 
in,  and  jerking  off  the  fish  and  rebaiting  and  throwing 
each  over  again,  in  less  than  no  time.  While  the  boys 
were  resting,  Mr.  Ready  caught  no  less  than  twenty  fish. 

After  eating  their  crackers,  the  boys  each  put  on  a 
pair  of  old,  thick  gloves,  with  the  fingers  cut  off  to  the 
first  joint,  to  protect  their  hands,  which  were  getting  cut 
up  and  swollen  already,  and  began  fishing  again. 

"  I  don't  believe  that  the  other  boats  are  catching  any- 
thing ! "  remarked  Mr.  Ready.  "  I  think  they  are  in  deep 


354  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

water.  'Tis  early  in  the  season  yet,  and  the  fish  are  in 
shoal  water.  This  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  bank.  My  line 
touches  bottom  at  twelve  fathoms.  I  don't  see  how  we 
caught  that  big,  deep-water  fish;  the  big  fish  usually 
drive  away  the  small  ones,  but  there  seem  to  be  as 
many  here  now  as  ever." 

"  I  guess  he  was  turning  over  the  rocks  with  his  nose, 
to  find  food  for  the  little  ones,"  laughed  Freddie. 

"  At  any  rate,  we've  turned  his  nose  over  for  him  ! " 
said  Allie,  looking  at  the  big  fellow  lying  in  the  bottom 
of  the  boat,  and  occasionally  flapping  about  in  a  most 
vigorous  manner. 

While  the  boys  were  having  such  luck,  the  other  boats 
were  wandering  about,  here  and  there,  searching,  but  so 
far,  without  success,  for  a  good  place  to  fish.  As  yet 
they  had  not  captured  a  single  one. 

"  I  declare !  it's  a  shame  for  them  to  have  all  the 
luck,"  said  Mr.  Cooper.  "  I  believe  that  they  are  catch- 
ing fish  on  the  same  ground  where  the  boys  caught 
theirs,  the  day  we  cleaned  the  wreck  out." 

"  No  doubt  of  it ! "  said  one  of  the  men.  "  We'd  better 
go  nearer  to  them  or  between  them  and  the  shore,  if  we 
want  to  have  any  luck." 

"  That's  a  good  suggestion !  "  replied  the  mate,  and  im- 
mediately he  drew  up  the  grapnel,  and  taking  the  oars 
pulled  to  a  position  between  the  other  boat  and  the  shore, 
and  throwing  down  the  iron  again  over  went  the  lines. 

They  had  evidently  struck  the  fish;  for  no  sooner 
were  the  lines  to  the  bottom  than  the  fish  began  to  bite, 
and  then  the  sport  began. 

"  We  will  not  put  up  any  signal ! "  said  the  mate,  "  we 
haven't  got  time  to  attend  to  signals,  unless  we  want  the 
boys  and  a  land  lubber "  —  for  so  he  styled  Mr.  Keady, 


FISHING  FOR    COD.  355 

because  he  was  not  a  regular  seaman  —  "  to  over-haul  us 
and  carry  in  the  first  boat  load.  Double  lines  out,  Mr. 
Stebbins ;  I  guess  we  can  manage  two  lines  apiece." 

In  a  minute  another  line  was  set  over  each  side  of  the 
boat,  and  the  experienced  fishermen  put  in  all  they  knew 
to  beat  the  boat  containing  Mr.  Ready  and  the  boys ;  but 
the  latter  was  smaller  than  the  former,  and  yet  the  big 
boat  filled  up  fast  under  experienced  hands  and  fresh 
ones,  while  the  lines  of  the  other  grew  heavier  and 
heavier,  as  the  work  progressed. 

Of  the  third  boat,  containing  the  rest  of  the  men, 
nothing  had  as  yet  been  heard.  She  seemed  to  have 
given  up  the  search  while  her  men  went  to  sleep,  —  no 
one  seemed  to  be  moving.  Such  was,  in  fact,  the  case ; 
not  finding  any  fish,  the  men  had  rowed  out  as  far  as 
they  dared,  hove  the  grapnel  overboard,  and  were  soon 
well  curled  up  finishing  their  morning's  nap. 

"  About  ten  o'clock,  by  the  sun ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  "  let's 
have  something  to  eat.  Come,  make  a  fire,  somebody ! " 

The  boys  gladly  assented,  and  Fred  at  once  took  out 
his  jack-knife  and  began  whittling  some  shavings  from  a 
piece  of  yellow-pine  stick,  which  had  been  carefully  pre- 
served in  the  locker  for  this  very  purpose.  To  these  he 
added  some  of  the  smaller,  then  one  or  two  larger  sticks, 
and  lighting  the  pile  suspended  the  kettle  over  the  fire 
by  fastening  it  to  the  halliard,  and  keeping  it  away  from 
the  mast  by  placing  a  stick  of  wood  between  them. 
When  the  kettle  boiled,  the  tea  was  made,  and  the 
corned-beef  and  other  provisions  brought  out.  Mr.  Ready 
had  stowed  away  a  little  better  food  than  the  men  had 
taken,  and  now  all  hands  helped  themselves  and  fully 
enjoyed  it. 

"  My-e-e  ! "  exclaimed  Fred ;  "  doesn't  that  bread  and 


356  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

butter  taste  nice.  This  tea  isn't  hot  a  bit,  and  here  I've 
been  blowing  it  for  nearly  a  minute,  thinking  that  it 
would  scorch  me  if  I  touched  it." 

"  A  fisherman  eating  apple-sauce ! "  said  Allie ;  "I  think 
that's  pretty  rich ; "  and  he  helped  himself  liberally  from 
a  mustard-box  full,  that  Eva,  the  night  before,  had  told 
Max  to  put  in  Fred's  basket. 

"  I  don't  believe  the  other  boats  have  got  a  fish  yet ! " 
laughed  Mr.  Ready ;  "  I  guess  they've  gone  to  sleep  in 
them." 

So  Mr.  Ready  and  the  boys  finished  their  meal,  hauled 
up  their  lines  and  took  the  fish  off  and  rebaited  and 
threw  them  over  again,  and  they,  too,  lay  down  and  took 
a  nap. 

An  hour  later  they  woke  up  and  went  to  fishing 
again. 

That  hour  allowed  the  mate  and  Mr.  Stebbins  to  get 
the  lead,  and  about  two  o'clock  the  boats  started  for 
home,  both  loaded  to  the  top.  The  men  in  the  other 
boat  were  just  making  a  fire,  as  could  be  seen  by  the 
smoke,  and  as  the  two  full  boats  moved  off  the  other 
took  their  place  on  the  same  ground,  and  the  crew  be- 
gan to  fish  in  real  earnest. 

About  half  an  hour's  rowing  brought  the  loaded  boats 
to  the  wharf,  and  the  men  rushed  to  Max  for  a  more 
substantial  dinner  than  cold  corned-beef  and  hardtack, 
while  Mr.  Ready  and  the  boys  took  upon  themselves  the 
task  of  pitching  the  fish  out  of  the  boats  into  the  trough 
above. 

It  took  them  until  the  men  returned  to  empty  the  first 
boat,  and  then  the  men  took  hold  and  soon  emptied  the 
second  one,  and  began  to  clean  them.  Two  hours  later, 
and  nearly  twenty  quintals  of  fish  were  stowed  away, 


FISHING  FOR    COD.  357 

and  the  boats  had  started  off  for  another  load,  while  the 
other  boat  was  just  returning  with  its  first  load. 

"  I  think  this  is  great  fun  ! "  said  Fred.  "  I'm  only 
afraid  that  I  shall  get  tired  out  before  the  season  ends,  if 
I  have  to  get  up  at  three  o'clock  every  morning." 

"  Oh,  you'll  get  hardened  to  that  after  a  spell ! " 
laughed  Mr.  Heady,  "  the  same  as  I  did." 

"  Why !  did  you  ever  belong  to  a  fishery  ? "  asked 
Allie. 

"  Bless  your  heart ! "  remarked  Mr.  Ready,  "  I  learned 
the  trade  from  a  regular  rascal,  when  I  was  a  small  boy, 
and  had  to  work  at  it,  whether  I  liked  it  or  not ;  then  I 
had  the  fishery  on  the  island  until  I  sold  out." 

Mr.  Ready  always  used  the  word  /,  when  talking 
about  the  "  establishment  on  the  island,"  although  it  was 
afterwards  learned  that  he  and  another  man  had  gone 
into  partnership,  the  other  man  supplying  all  the  money, 
and  they  had  failed  and  been  obliged  to  sell  out. 

"  Well,  boys,  here  we  are  again  ! "  and  Mr.  Ready 
threw  out  the  grappling-iron,  and  then  proceeded  to 
draw  out  the  lines. 

At  that  moment,  a  huge  hagden  flitted  by  and  picked 
up  a  dead  caperling,  that  was  floating  on  the  water  only 
a  few  rods  in  the  rear  of  the  boat. 

"  How  I  wish  I  had  brought  my  gun ! "  exclaimed 
Freddie.  "  See,  there  ! " 

And  he  pointed  to  a  long,  black  line  on  the  horizon. 

"  It's  a  flock  of  ducks,"  said  Allie,  "  probably  the  last 
of  the  season  before  they  divide  up  and  go  to  breeding." 

It  was  without  doubt  an  immense  flock  of  eiders,  and 
the  boys  watched  them  for  some  minutes. 

'•'  Come,  come ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  rather  impatiently, 
but  still  good-naturedly,  "  this  isn't  fishing." 


358  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

A  few  moments  more,  and  they  were  hauling  in  the 
fish  as  rapidly  as  they  had  been  during  the  morning, 
both  boats  occupying  very  nearly  the  same  relative  posi- 
tion they  had  then  held.  It  was  evident  that  the  men 
in  both  had  "  taken  bearings." 

At  nine  o'clock  at  night,  five  hungry  and  tired  men, 
and  two  hungry  and  tired  boys,  the  latter  almost  too 
tired  to  be  hungry,  reached  the  wharf  with  two  and  a 
half  loads  of  fish  still  to  be  cured  before  going  to  bed. 

A  good  warm  supper  and  hot  tea  were  served,  and 
then  they  went  to  the  wharf  again  to  cure  their  fish. 

"  A  pretty  good  day's  work ! "  remarked  Mr.  Cooper, 
rubbing  hands  with  satisfaction,  though  he  was  not  gen- 
erally very  demonstrative.  "  A  pretty  good  day's  work ; 
about  fifty  quintals.  We'll  never  do  much  better,  and 
may  do  a  great  deal  worse." 

"  If  we  can  keep  this  up ! "  said  Mr.  Keady,  with  a 
very  serious,  comical  smile,  "  we'll  have  our  barn  full  by 
the  end  of  the  season;  then  what  are  we  going  to  do 
with  them  ?  " 

"  Tut,  tut ! "  remarked  Mr.  Cooper.  "  Never  borrow 
trouble  !  you're  sure  to  have  enough  without  it." 

"  Very  true !  but  what  do  you  suppose  it  will  be  best 
to  do  in  case  we  don't  find  a  vessel  ?  " 

"  Oh,  but  we  shall ! "  and  Mr.  Cooper  nodded  his  head 
very  significantly,  and  remarked :  "  or  we'll  take  a  boat 
and  hunt  around  till  we  find  one.  We  could  sail  to  New- 
foundland in  a  day,  if  we  had  good  wind  and  fair  sky." 

"  I  suppose  so ! "  remarked  Mr.  Ready ;  "  but  I'd  a 
great  deal  rather  that  you'd  go  than  I ! " 

"  And  I'd  rather  go  than  send  you,"  laughed  the  mate. 
"  I'd  be  more  sure  of  finding  something." 

"  If  you  went  for  it,  7  shouldn't  be  likely  to  be  the 


FISHING  FOR    COD.  359 

one  to  find  it,  that's  true  ! "  returned  Mr.  Ready,  with  a 
laugh.  "  With  what  the  boys  got  the  other  day,  we've 
got  a  good  fifty  quintals,  sure ;  "  he  added  more  soberly. 
"  I  think  our  day's  work  a  great  success,  and  I'll  take 
the  tobacco,  for  the  first  fish,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Cooper." 

"  I  think  I'll  keep  it  for  getting  in  with  the  first  load," 
replied  Mr.  Cooper,  good-naturedly. 

"  Hum ! "  said  Mr.  Eeady,  energetically,  taking  off  his 
coat  with  a  great  flourish,  meanwhile ;  "  we  must  halve 
it,  or  fight  for  it." 

"  Oh,  I'll  give  you  half,"  laughed  Mr.  Cooper. 

"  Ah,  hum !  that  is  all  we  want,"  remarked  the  former; 
"  all  we  want ! "  emphasizing  both  the  all  and  the  want. 

Mr.  Ready  was  soon  filling  his  pipe  with  some  of  the 
"  all  we  want,"  and  smoking  as  peacefully  as  if  he  had  been 
at  it  all  the  day  and  intended  following  it  as  an  occupation 
all  night  and  possibly  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Benton  was  at  the  door,  although  it  was  late, 
when  Mr.  Cooper  went  to  retire.  His  brow  was  some- 
what clouded,  and  he  could  hardly  put  the  question  he 
seemed  desirous  of  asking. 

Mr.  Cooper  noticed  the  anxiety,  but,  as  if  he  had  not 
noticed  it,  remarked  quickly  : 

"  Bait  and  fish  plenty,  sir !  We'll  have  a  full  cargo,  sir ! " 

"  That's  the  best  news  I've  heard  yet ! "  said  Mr.  Ben- 
ton,  slapping  Mr.  Cooper  on  the  shoulder.  "  You  relieve 
me  from  a  terrible  suspense  and  anxiety.  It  will  be 
easier  to  find  a  vessel  to  take  our  cargo  home  —  or  even 
to  send  it  abroad  —  than  to  find  a  cargo  for  our  vessel  — 
other  than  ourselves." 

"I  think  we  can  clear  one  thousand  quintals  before 
the  end  of  the  fishery,  sir.  We  have  taken  fully  fifty, 
so  far,  and  the  fish  seem  as  abundant  as  ever." 


860  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Praise  the  Lord ! "  remarked  Mr.  Benton.  "  If  there 
is  anything  among  the  stores,  Mr.  Cooper,  that  you  would 
like,  either  for  yourself,  or  for  the  men,  —  anything 
within  reason,  you  know,  —  help  yourself  freely/'  re- 
marked Mr.  Benton,  as  he  turned  and  entered  his  room. 

Shortly  after  this  all  had  retired  for  the  night,  and 
Mr.  Ready,  the  last  to  turn  in,  carefully  taking  his  pipe 
out  of  his  mouth,  and  knocking  the  inverted  bowl  two 
or  three  times  on  a  stick  of  wood,  as  he  emptied  the 
ashes  out,  remarked  to  himself  as  he  pocketed  the  same 
and.  made  his  way  up  the  ladder  to  his  bunk : 

"  Old  times,  once  more !  seems  natural !  Prospects 
good !  —  yes,  very  good !  I  think  we  may  be  perfectly  sat- 
isfied, so  far!" 

The  next  day  "  the  crew  "  were  off  again  to  the  fishing- 
grounds,  John  remaining  at  home  with  Mr.  Taylor. 

The  latter  had  taken  the  hides  from  off  the  two 
mountain  cats,  and  stretching  them  inside  out,  upon  the 
two  sticks  which  he  had  made  for  them,  had  placed 
them  carefully  upon  the  roof  of  the  house  to  dry  in  the 
sun,  taking  pains  to  turn  them  over  and  over,  several 
times,  during  the  course  of  the  day.  The  carcasses  he 
dissected,  cleaned  thoroughly,  and  boiled  the  flesh,  care- 
fully taken  from  the  bones,  into  an  excellent  soup,  which 
the  men  ate  with  evident  relish. 

Mr.  Taylor  himself  and  the  others  merely  tasted  of  it. 
The  bones  were  carefully  preserved,  .scraped  of  all  their 
flesh,  dried,  done  up  in  parcels,  labelled,  and  put  away. 

"We  will  mount  them  some  day,  perhaps,"  said  Mr. 
Taylor. 

Eva,  all  this  time,  had  been  trying  to  tame  the  young 
kittens ;  but  they  sorely  missed  their  mother.  She 
tried  them  first  with  a  spoonful  of  condensed  milk  weak- 


FISHING   FOR    COD.  361 

ened  in  cold  water,  then  she  tried  it  in  warm ;  then  she 
put  bread  into  both,  and  finally  tried  scraps  of  meat,  but 
they  refused  to  eat.  At  length,  one  day,  moved  by  a 
sudden  impulse,  she  threw  a  bone  of  a  duck  into  their 
box.  Immediately  each  grabbed  an  end  of  it  and  began 
to  fight  for  the  possession  of  the  whole  bone.  She 
threw  them  more  pieces,  and  soon  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  them  eating  heartily,  and  eventually,  save  for  an 
occasional  side  glance  at  each  other,  or  a  growl,  or  a  spit, 
as  if  to  assert  their  rights  to  the  pieces  thrown  to  them 
in  defiance  of  the  other ;  the  grand  act  had  been  accom- 
plished, and  they  had  eaten.  Henceforth  they  were  fed 
easily,  and  would  soon  eat  almost  anything  that  was 
thrown  to  them  in  the  shape  of  meat,  though  they  would 
drink  nothing  save  water. 

Eva  was  delighted  with  her  pets.  They  "acted  so 
like  little  geese  ! "  she  said.  —  "  They'll  fight  nothing  for 
hours,  and  when  I  go  to  them  and  box  their  ears,  they 
back  way  up  into  the  corner  and  seem  frightened  half 
to  death.  They  are  getting  tamer  and  tamer  every  day, 
and  I  can  almost  pet  them  and  take  them  up  in  my  lap." 

"  If  you  succeed  in  taming  those  young  animals,"  said 
Mr.  Taylor,  "you'll  do  more  than  many  another  person 
who  has  tried  before  you !  It  is  one  of  the  hardest  of 
animals  to  tame  known." 

"  I  don't  care  one  bit ! "  exclaimed  Eva,  "  Popsy  and 
Topsy  are  the  nicest  little  things  in  the  world ;  an't  you, 
Popsy  and  Topsy  ?  " 

By  way  of  reply,  Popsy  and  Topsy  began  to  spit  and 
to  hiss,  and  to  retreat  into  the  corner  of  the  room,  be- 
neath one  of  the  chairs,  to  which  they  were  fastened. 

Eva  applied  a  small  switch  vigorously  upon  them, 
which  made  them  fight  all  the  more,  as  she  said : 


362  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  There !  by  and  by  I  shall  get  you  two  naughty  children 
tamed  down,  so  that  you  will  really  behave  yourselves 
when  you  are  told  to ;  "  and  she  applied  the  switch  more 
vigorously. 

"  When  you  get  those  two  animals  '  tamed  down '  with 
that  mode  of  procedure ; "  laughed  Mr.  Taylor,  "  I  hope 
you  will  let  me  know ; "  and  he  fairly  shook  with  sup- 
pressed laughter. 

Eva  ran  up  behind  him  and  gave  him  a  good  box  upon 
the  ear,  with  the  remark  that  she'd  tame  him  if  he  laughed 
at  either  her  or  her  pets,  and  Mr.  Taylor  ducked  his  head 
and  ignoininiously  rushed  for  another  corner  of  the  room. 

"I  don't  know  which  is  the  worst,"  said  Eva,  "two 
unruly  animals  or  an  unruly  man." 

Peace  being  at  length  restored,  John  began  to  recite 
his  Geometry  lesson  to  Mr.  Taylor.  John  was  studying 
to  take  the  prize  entrance  examination  to  college,  and 
could  think  of  little  else  just  now.  He  was  anxious  to 
excel  his  friend,  at  home,  Peter  Marvin,  who  was,  per- 
haps, one  of  the  smartest  students  in  the  town.  Mr. 
Taylor  had  agreed  that  if  he  followed  his  advice  and 
instructions  he  would  "come  as  near  giving  him  the 
prize  as  he  could."  This  was  almost  equivalent  to  say- 
ing that  he  could  guarantee  him  the  prize,  for  Mr. 
Taylor  was  regarded  as  a  very  fine  scholar  and  teacher, 
and  so  John  was  spending  all  his  time  studying,  forget- 
ful of  the  motto  that  much  study  is  a  "weariness  to 
the  flesh."  John  was  not,  therefore,  much  of  a  com- 
panion for  the  other  boys ;  for  his  mind  was  too  often 
upon  the  Greek  roots,  while  theirs  was  vigorous  and 
healthy  in  the  performance  of  those  daily  duties  which 
in  the  end  develop  manhood  more  than  the  confined 
study  even  of  Greek. 


FISHING  FOR    COD.  363 

Mrs.  Benton  was  not  idle  these  days.  As  the  only 
lady  of  the  establishment,  she  superintended  the  general 
household  work  with  a  care  and  decision  that  showed 
that  she  had  not  entirely  forgotten  the  training  of  her 
earlier  days. 

"  The  house  is  small  and  cramped  with  so  many  in  it," 
she  would  say,  "  and  it  don't  take  a  great  while  to  go 
from  one  end  of  it  to  the  othor,  yet  you  can  walk  miles 
here  just  as  well  as  you  can  out  of  doors." 

And  the  good  woman  illustrated  her  words  by  trotting 
about  continually,  now  here  and  now  there,  attending 
to  this  thing  and  that,  and  even  mending  the  clothes, 
and  proving  a  real  "  mother  in  Israel,"  as  Mr.  Taylor 
remarked.  And  it  took  time  to  wash,  iron,  and  mend 
the  boys'  and  men's  clothes. 

"The  others  must  look  out  for  themselves,  but  Mr.  Ben- 
ton,  Mr.  Taylor,  and  the  boys  must  have  their  things  at- 
tended to,  and  as  no  one  else  can  do  it,  Max  and  /  will ! " 
said  the  good  woman. 

Mr.  Benton,  also,  did  little  these  days,  save  to  rest 
and  walk.  He  was  a  fine  business  man,  but  was  now 
"like  a  cat  in  a  strange  garret;"  and  so  he  spent  most  of 
the  time  in  reading,  walking,  sleeping,  and  eating.  He 
did  not  eat  a  great  deal,  but  he  slept  continually,  or 
appeared  to.  He  walked  out  several  times  daily,  and 
generally  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  above  the  house,  —  being 
apparently  never  tired  of  viewing  the  beauties  of  the 
scenery,  and  watching  for  vessels  or  boats,  he  would  say. 
He  often  saw  the  smoke  of  large  steamers,  far  off  in  the 
distance;  and  once  he  saw  the  steamer  itself,  almost 
near  enough  to  hail  it.  From  this  he  felt  sure  that 
they  could  not  be  far  out  of  the  way  of  vessels,  —  yet 
none  came  near  enough  to  see*  them. 


364  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Mr.  Benton  was  excessively  fond  of  reading.  He  was 
always  supplied  with  an  immense  amount  of  reading 
matter,  in  the  shape  of  the  latest  novels  of  all  kinds. 
He  would  start  on  one  of  them,  let  everything,  even  his 
meals  and  nap,  go,  to  pursue  the  hero  or  heroine  to  the 
end;  and,  when  reached,  throw  the  book  down  with  a 
disgusted  air,  and  remark : 

"  Trash !  perfect  nonsense  !  Worse  than  useless  to 
write  such  stuff.  /  shall  never  allow  my  boys  to  read 
novels ;  it  wastes  more  time,  and  is  more  injurious  than 
any  other  employment  that  I  know  of.  /  am  never 
going  to  read  another  of  the  trashy  things." 

Half  an  hour  later,  he  would  be  perusing  the  table  of 
contents  of  a  new  story  with  the  remark : 

"  They're  all  just  about  the  same !  Nonsense !  abso- 
lute nonsense  !  and  a  positive  imposition  upon  society ! " 

The  family  were  past  remonstrating,  as  Mr.  Benton 
always  retorted : 

"I  only  want  to  see  if  there  is  a  decent  one  among 
them.  I  haven't  found  it  yet,  but  I  may  !  I  may ! " 

As  for  Mr.  Taylor,  he  could  no  more  resist  an  appeal 
to  go  trouting,  than  he  could  resist  the  daily  course  of 
the  sun ;  while  Eva  was  never  so  happy  as  when,  with 
paper  and  scissors  in  hand,  she  was  clipping  and  pasting 
in  her  scrap-book  such  pieces  as  seemed  best  to  suit  her 
fancy.  Her  book  had  contained  four  divisions,  primarily : 
of  poetry,  stories,  small  scraps,  and  items ;  but  she  had 
gradually  filled  up  the  pages  so  that  now  it  was  one 
continuous  scrap-book,  with  everything  mixed  together, 
—  excepting  the  last  dozen  pages,  which  were  as  yet 
unfilled. 

Thus  the  family  spent  their  time,  and  thus  time  hur- 
ried on  "  apace,"  while  everything  seemed  to  prosper. 


CAST  A  WA  Y  UPON  AN  ISLAND.  365 


CHAPTER  XI. 

CAST    AWAY    UPON    AN    ISLAND. 

"TTURRY  in  with  that  painter  there,  boys,  double 

•J — L  quick  time,  now ! "  cried  Mr.  Heady,  trying 
vainly  to  catch  the  end  of  the  halliard,  which  was  dodg- 
ing about  here  and  there  in  the  air,  blown  by  the  wind. 
"  Lively,  there !  we  shall  get  blown  overboard  if  we 
don't  hurry  and  get  to  the  lee  of  the  land." 

Fred  and  Allie  exerted  their  utmost  to  haul  in  the 
grapnel,  while  Mr.  Ready  caught  the  halliard,  and  hoist- 
ing the  sail,  put  the  tiller  hard-up  and  headed  the  boat 
for  home. 

They  had  been  out  on  the  ground  since  morning, — 
'twas  now  about  nine  o'clock,  and  the  boat  was  not  yet 
half-full.  It  had  been  clear  when  they  started  out,  but 
gradually  the  clouds  had  overcast  the  sky,  and  now  the 
wind  began  to  freshen  so  perceptibly  that  Mr.  Eeady 
evidently  began  to  be  somewhat  alarmed. 

Away  they  fairly  hummed  through  the  water,  as  the 
waves  increased  and  the  wind  whistled  through  the  rig- 
ging. The  little  boat  jumped  as  if  she  were  a  rocking- 
horse,  and  the  spray  dashing  over  the  gunwale,  wet  both 
Mr.  Eeady  and  the  boys. 

The  Sprite  seemed  to  be  making  very  good  progress ; 
but  in  reality  it  scarcely  held  its  own,  for  both  wind  and 
tide  were  against  it,  and  though  they  continued  to  beat 
about  for  over  an  hour,  they  scarcely  gained  a  dozen 


366  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

rods.  As  time  passed,  the  wind  slightly,  yet  perceptibly, 
freshened,  and  at  last  Mr.  Ready  exclaimed : 

"It's  very  plain  to  me,  that  if  we  want  to  get  any- 
where to-day  we  must  turn  and  scud  for  that  little  island, 
over  there,  and  stay  till  the  wind  changes  ! " 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  put  the  tiller 
hard-up,  again,  and  in  a  moment  more  the  boat  touched 
land. 

All  clambered  out  upon  the  beach,  and  soon  fastened 
the  painter  to  a  large  stone,  deeply  imbedded  in  the 
sand,  one  end  of  which  was  sharp  and  pointed,  so  that 
there  was  no  danger  of  the  rope  slipping  when  passed 
around  it ;  the  boat  itself  was  drawn  up  a  good  distance 
on  the  beach,  before  the  painter  had  been  tied,  —  then 
the  boys  ran  off  quickly  to  see  what  sort  of  a  place  they 
had  landed  upon. 

It  was  a  long,  narrow,  flat  island,  with  a  wide  beach 
of  sand  and  small  stones,  and  higher  up  a  large  central 
patch  of  green  grasses  and  low  vegetation.  Toward  the 
sea  at  one  end  of  the  island  was  a  little  hill,  perhaps  fifty 
feet  high,  sloping  toward  the  island,  almost  perpendicular 
at  the  seaward  side,  and  forming  a  sheltered  nook  at  the 
side  where  the  precipitous  sides  came  around  to  join  the 
slope ;  it  was  a  most  cozy  corner. 

Here  the  boys  at  once  established  themselves,  and 
began  making  preparations  to  build  a  fire  by  collecting 
several  armfuls  of  the  driftwood,  which  was  scattered 
abundantly  about  the  beach.  In  a  few  minutes  they  had 
brought  together  a  quantity  of  these  pieces  and  had 
started  a  blaze.  The  pieces  were  laid  slanting,  with 
their  tops  near  together,  —  so  that  the  pile  looked  like  a 
Mountain  Indian's  wigwam,  or  mishwap,  as  the  Labrador 
Indians  call  their  huts.  Then  larger  sticks  were  added, 


CAST  AWAY   UPON  AN  ISLAND.  867 

until  soon  the  pile  was  nearly  two  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base,  and  as  high,  and.  burning  away  furiously,  sending 
up  a  long,  heavy  column  of  smoke  from  the  top,  while 
the  sides  were  bursting  with  flames  in  all  directions  and 
sending  out  its  heat  and  glow  for  a  circle  of  nearly  a  rod 
around  it. 

"  This  is  comfortable  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  sitting 
down  on  a  small  stone  near  the  fire,  and  alternately 
holding  out  and  rubbing  together  his  hands.  "  Now,  you 
boys  can  run  and  take  a  look  around  the  island,  if  you 
wish,  while  I  stay  and  keep  the  fire  —  " 

"  Warm ! "  shouted  Freddie,  as  he  darted  off  toward 
the  other  side  of  the  island. 

"  Yes,  warm  ! "  replied  Mr.  Ready,  laughing,  "  keep 
the  fire  warm.  I  guess  that  'tis  pretty  near  time  to  get 
something  substantial  to  eat,"  he  added  to  himself,  as 
the  boys  were  hurrying  over  the  slope.  So  he  exclaimed 
aloud :  "  Hurry  back  soon,  boys,  and  we'll  have  some- 
thing to  eat ! " 

Mr.  Ready  then  went  to  the  boat  and  brought  out  the 
paper  of  lunch,  the  coffee-pot,  and  a  small  box  each  of 
sugar  and  coffee ;  then  selecting  carefully  a  large,  fine 
codfish,  he  hurried  with  them  all  to  the  fire,  and  depos- 
ited them  on  a  rock  close  by.  Then  he  took  the  fish  and, 
going  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  cut  it  open  and  cleaned 
it,  at  the  same  time  giving  it  a  good  washing.  The  fish, 
being  thoroughly  cleaned,  he  laid  upon  the  rock,  and 
going  along  the  beach  until  he  had  found  a  good-sized, 
flat,  thin  stone,  he  took  it,  scrubbed  off  the  surface  and 
brought  it  near  the  fire  to  dry.  He  then  placed  the 
stone,  propped  up  by  another  stone,  as  near  the  fire  as 
he  thought  necessary  for  his  purpose,  and  putting  a 
piece  of  the  brown  paper  in  which  the  luncheon  was 


368  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

tied  upon  the  surface  of  the  stone,  he  carefully  laid  the 
fish  upon  it,  with  the  skin  towards  the  fire. 

"  There  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  when  all  this  had 
been  accomplished,  "  now,  cook,  will  ye  !  " 

And  he  sat  down  on  the  stone  again  to  watch  the  fire. 

"  Bother  take  it !  I  do  believe  I'm  getting  to  know 
less  and  less  every  day." 

And  Mr.  Ready  jumped  up,  and  began  poking  the  fire 
in  front  of  the  fish  until  the  place  presented  a  glowing 
mass  of  coals,  instead  of  smoke  and  flames  alone. 

"  Well ! "  he  added,  "  I  can  turn  both  the  stone  and 
the  fish  over,  if  I  find  that  the  bottom  is  getting  cooked 
faster  than  the  top." 

When  the  fish  and  stone  had  been  arranged  to  his 
satisfaction,  Mr.  Ready  went  to  the  boat,  filled  the  pot 
with  water,  and  returning,  isolated  a  few  coals  from  the 
fire,  poking  them  between  two  stones,  upon  which  he 
placed  the  pot,  with  some  coffee  in  it,  and  sat  down  to 
watch  that  also. 

"  I  declare,  that  fish  is  scorching ! "  said  Mr.  Ready. 

Immediately  he  jumped  up  and  proceeded  to  turn  the 
fish,  as  best  he  could,  it  being  somewhat  hot. 

"  There !  Now  I'll  try  to  sit  down  a  moment,  for  a 
third  time." 

Just  then  he  heard  a  sizzling  noise  behind  him,  and 
turning  around  perceived  that  the  coffee-pot  had  slipped 
and  spilt  over  nearly  one-third  of  the  water  and  put  the 
fire  out  beneath  it. 

"  I  declare !  what  a  peck  of  trouble ! "  he  exclaimed, 
as  he  proceeded  to  right  the  pot,  drop  in  a  small  quantity 
more  of  coffee,  and  put  new  coals  under  the  stones,  upon 
which  he  re-set  the  pot,  but  much  more  securely  than 
before. 


CAST  AWAY  UPON  AN  ISLAND.  369 

Then  the  fish  needed  turning  again.  All  these  things 
occupied  time,  and  kept  Mr.  Keady  very  busy.  While 
he  was  at  work  with  the  lunch,  we  will  see  what  the 
boys  were  doing. 

When  they  left  Mr.  Ready,  with  the  parting  injunc- 
tion to  "  be  back  soon,"  they  ascended  the  low  beach  and 
passing  over  its  ridge,  came  at  once  to  the  patch  of  grass 
and  scant  vegetation  composing  the  center  of  the  island. 
As  they  proceeded  a  number  of  gulls  and  ducks  flew  up 
and  away,  the  former  hovering  about,  some  distance 
overhead,  uttering  hoarse  croaks  of  remonstrance  as  the 
boys  pounced  eagerly  upon  several  nests  and  secured  the 
eggs,  in  Allie's  hat. 

"  Ten  duck's  eggs  from  two  nests,  and  seven  gull's  eggs 
from  three  nests !  "  exclaimed  Fred. 

"I  guess  they  must  be  all  good!"  said  Allie,  "they 
look  fresh." 

While  the  boys  were  walking  and  talking  they  almost 
stumbled  upon  a  large  nest  of  down,  in  the  center  of 
which  were  cozily  imbedded  five  downy  young  ducks, 
from  which  the  mother  had  just  flown,  leaving  them  to 
their  fate  —  while  she  protected  herself  by  flight.  They 
were  beauties ;  but  the  boys  would  not  touch  them,  being 
even  more  generous  than  their  truant  mother.  A  little 
further  on  they  came  upon  a  gull's  nest,  in  which  also 
were  several  young  birds.  As  they  approached  the  sea, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  a  large  flock  of  sand- 
peeps  flew  off  in  a  tremendous  fright  and  hurry  —  while 
a  single,  solitary  nan-sary  (or  yellow  legs)  whirred  away 
with  a  shrill  call  that  startled  another  small  flock  of 
beach  birds  from  a  small  cove  behind  a  huge  rock  not 
far  away  from  them. 

"  What  luck  we  have  had  this  morning,  Allie." 


370  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  I  think  so,  too ;  but  see  those  things  in  the  water ! " 

Allie  crouched  low,  and  pulled  Fred  down  with  him; 
then  they  both  cautiously  peered  over  the  top  of  a  rock 
near  by  and  watched.  It  was  an  old  duck  with  a  flock 
of  little  ones  around  her. 

"I  declare!"  exclaimed  Fred,  "if  she  isn't  holding 
them  on  her  back." 

The  young  ducks  were,  in  fact,  clustered  about,  and 
apparently  resting  on  the  back  of  the  old  bird,  whose 
body  was  almost  submerged,  showing  scarcely  more  than 
the  head  above  water.  After  a  moment  the  young  ducks 
slipped  off  and  went  paddling  about  the  old  duck,  who 
seemed  to  be  directing  their  motions.  Two  or  three 
times,  while  thus  engaged,  the  boys  thought  they  heard 
some  one  calling ;  but  the  wind  was  blowing  so  loud  that 
they  could  hardly  tell,  while  Fred  insisted  that  it  was  a 
big  gull  up  in  the  air  that  was  "  sassing "  them  for  tak- 
ing away  their  eggs. 

At  length,  tired  of  watching  the  young  ducks  and  their 
mother,  they  rose  from  their  place  of  concealment  and 
hastened  toward  the  boat.  As  they  appeared  in  sight,  Mr. 
Ready's  voice  greeted  them. 

"  Where  have  you  been  to  ?  I've  been  a  hollering  for 
yer  for  the  last  ten  minutes.  Why  didn't  you  come  ?  The 
coffee's  hot,  and  the  fish  cooked,  and  everything  ready." 

"  So  are  the  eggs ! "  laughed  Fred,  producing  Allie's 
hat  full. 

At  the  sound  of  eggs,  of  which  Mr.  Keady  was  very 
fond,  he  jumped  up,  ran  to  the  boat,  and  soon  returned 
with  the  tin  bailing  bucket. 

"  There  ! "  he  said,  as  he  filled  it  with  water,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  hunt  up  a  rude  forked  stick,  the  forks  of  which 
sharpened  he  pushed  through  the  holes  in  the  opposite 


CAST  AWAY  UPON  AN  ISLAND.  371 

sides  of  the  can :  "  Now  we  will  have  something  worth 
eating  ! " 

When  filled  with  eggs,  resting  the  edge  on  stones,  and 
holding  the  stick,  he  Avas  able  to  boil  the  eggs  without 
any  difficulty.  The  ten  duck's  eggs  were  boiled  first, 
and  five  of  the  gull's  eggs  put  in  and  left  to  boil  hard, 
while  they  all  proceeded  to  business. 

"  Two  eggs,  a  large  piece  of  codfish,  two  corned-beef 
sandwiches,  two  doughnuts  and  a  piece  of  cheese,  two 
small  pieces  of  cake  —  " 

"  And  two  cups  of  coffee,  apiece  ! "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Ready,  laughing,  and  interrupting  Fred  as  he  was  thus 
enumerating  the  various  articles  of  the  meal. 

"Yes!  apiece!"  exclaimed  Fred,  indignantly.  "That's 
a  pretty  dinner  for  three  big  men.  I  think  that  they 
might  at  least  have  put  in  a  pickle." 

Allie  and  Mr.  Ready  fairly  choked  themselves  laugh- 
ing at  this  addition,  while  protesting  against  the  appar- 
ent smallness  of  the  amount. 

"  Bless  you,  child  ! "  laughed  Mr.  Ready,  recovering 
himself,  "  dip  your  head  in  salt-water,  or  take  a  mouthful 
of  it,  that's  pickle  enough  for  anybody.  Fm  very  well 
contented,  indeed,"  and  he  proceeded  to  swallow  his  por- 
tion with  all  possible  gusto. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  am  satisfied ! "  replied  Fred,  very 
humbly,  "  but  I  do  wish  I  had  a  pickle." 

"  Fall  into  the  water,  Fred !  "  said  Allie,  "  and  you'll 
get  into  one  fast  enough." 

"  Humph  ! "  replied  Freddie ;  "  I'd  rather  one  would 
get  into  me  ;  I'm  in  a  pickle  enough  now,  without  getting 
into  any  more." 

"  Come,  be  sensible  ! "  cried  his  brother ;  "  what  do  you 
need  a  pickle  for  ?  " 


372  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Just  then  a  big  gull  sailed  over  them  and  uttered  a 
hoarse  chuckle,  as  much  as  to  say :  "  What  are  you  doing 
here  ?  " 

"I'd  pickle  him ! "  said  Allie,  "if  I  had  a  gun." 

"  Come,  eat  your  dinner,  'tis  all  you'll  get  for  awhile 
now,  if  this  wind  keeps  on.  Wind  in  the  middle  of  the 
day  is  a  bad  thing  now,  depend  upon  it." 

The  boys  went  diligently  to  work  at  the  provisions, 
and  very  successfully,  judging  from  the  scraps  remaining 
half  an  hour  later. 

As  there  was  nothing  else  to  do,  after  satisfying  their 
appetite,  the  boys  replenished  the  fire,  and  huddled 
closely  up  to  it,  and  were  soon  dozing  and  nodding  their 
heads ;  but  even  here  Mr.  Ready  was  before  them.  Sailor- 
like,  being  able  to  sleep  at  almost  any  time  and  place,  he 
had  rolled  himself  up  as  near  the  fire  as  he  could,  and 
was  fairly  snoring  before  the  others  had  got  any  farther 
than  to  simply  nod  and  yawn,  —  but  very  soon  they,  too, 
gave  up  to  the  charm  of  the  situation,  and  there  they 
all  lay,  quietly  and  soundly  sleeping  off  the  effects  of 
their  bountiful  dinner. 

Mr.  Keady,  sailor-like,  again,  did  not  sleep  long;  but, 
after  about  half  an  hour,  awoke  and  rolled  over  as 
easily  as  he  had  fallen  asleep.  His  first  care  was  to 
replenish  the  fire,  and  then,  seeing  that  all  was  safe, 
and  the  boys  sleeping  soundly  and  not  near  enough  to 
the  fire  to  get  burned,  he  rolled  himself  up  again  for 
another  nap. 

While  the  boys  and  Mr.  Ready  were  quietly  sleeping, 
an  event  of  great  importance  was  happening  near  by. 
All  this  while  the  tide  was  slowly  but  surely  rising.  It 
had  been  impossible  to  draw  the  boat,  heavily  loaded  as 
it  was  with  nearly  half  a  ton  of  fish,  far  up  the  gravelly 


CAST  AWAY   UPON  AN  ISLAND.  373 

beach,  and  it  did  not  require  long  for  the  water  to  reach 
the  place  to  which  Mr.  Ready  and  the  boys  had  drawn 
it.  Soon,  therefore,  the  boat  began  to  bob  up  and  down 
at  the  stern,  as  the  rolling  waves  hurried  to  throw  them- 
selves upon  the  beach.  Little  by  little  the  water  arose, 
higher  and  higher,  until  very  soon  the  boat  actually 
floated  on  the  in  wave,  and  came  back  with  a  tug  at  the 
painter  on  the  out  wave.  All  this  was  nothing  at  first, 
but  very  soon  the  rope  began  to  loosen  its  hold  upon  the 
rock,  and,  little  by  little,  to  give  way,  —  until,  finally, 
the  painter  jerked  entirely  free — and  the  boat  itself 
was  bobbing  about  on  the  waves,  several  rods  from  the 
shore,  and  slowly,  yet  surely  drifting  to  the  leeward  end 
of  the  island,  pounding  rocks  and  occasionally  the  grav- 
elly beach  as  it  traveled,  as  if  in  protest  at  its  final  fate. 
An  hour  or  so  later  Mr.  Ready  and  the  boys  awoke,  all 
much  refreshed  from  their  nap. 

"Two  o'clock,  and  all  as  smooth  and  comfortable  as 
if  it  hadn't  been  blowing  for  the  last  three  hours  ! "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Ready.  "  Wind  gone  down,  sky  clearing ; 
sea  as  rough  as  ever ;  in  an  hour  or  so  I  guess  we  can  go 
on  with  our  fishing  !  " 

The  boys  jumped  up,  rubbed  their  eyes,  yawned,  and 
then  set  to  work  replenishing  the  fire,  which  was  soon 
burning  away  as  briskly  as  ever. 

Fred  then  took  up  his  tin  cup  and  approached  the  cof- 
fee-pot for  a  drink,  when,  upon  turning  the  pot,  not  a 
drop  ran  out  of  the  muzzle ;  opening  the  lid  he  saw  that 
it  had  been  emptied  dry. 

"  Put  some  more  water  in  it ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  "  there's 
plenty  more  in  the  keg  in  the  boat." 

Freddie  started  off  with  the  coffee-pot  in  his  hand,  but 
soon  returned  and  inquired  with  open  eyes : 


374  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

u  Where  is  the  boat  ?  " 

"  Ye  must  be  blind  or  asleep  if  ye  can't  find  the  boat ! " 
remarked  Mr.  Beady,  in  a  rather  petulant  voice,  as  he 
arose  and  proceeded  to  show  the  boys  where  the  boat 
was. 

"  Hum  ! "  exclaimed  that  worthy  gentleman,  as  he 
stood  upon  the  crest  of  the  slope  and  looked  here  and 
there  in  search  of  the  boat.  "  Hum !  yes  !  exactly  so,  how 
much ! "  were  the  ejaculations  which  Mr.  Ready  uttered. 

"  Now  who's  asleep ! "  queried  Freddie. 

"I  guess  we've  all  been,"  replied  that  gentleman, 
straining  his  eyes  in  search  of  any  sight  of  the  boat  on 
the  surrounding  waters. 

A  climb  up  the  hill  and  an  outlook  from  this  point 
served  no  better  —  no  boat  was  in  sight.  Once  clear  of 
the  island,  the  wind  and  waves  had  hurried  it  fast  to 
sea. 

"  Well !  we've  got  two  boats  and  a  dory  left,  anyway," 
said  Mr.  Eeady ;  "  we  must  stick  up  some  sort  of  a  signal. 
I  think  they  can  see  us." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  returned  to  the 
shore,  sought  out  a  long  stick,  which  he  found  after 
searching  over  nearly  the  whole  island,  and,  fastening 
to  the  end  a  large  red  bandana,  which  he  carried  with 
him  in  his  pocket,  he  planted  it  firmly  on  the  rocks,  on 
the  top  of  the  hill,  and  piled  a  lot  of  stones  around  it  to 
hold  it  up. 

"  There,  I  guess  they'll  see  that ! "  remarked  Mr.  Ready, 
as  he  descended  the  hill  again.  "Now  we  must  wait 
results,  and  perhaps  stay  here  over  night." 

"  I  don't  care  if  we  do,"  said  Allie,  "  if  it  isn't  too  cold 
and  it  don't  rain." 

"  And  it  may  do  both,"  laughed   Mr.  Ready.     "  You 


CAST  AWAY   UPON  AN  ISLAND.  375 

boys  had  better  collect  all  the  wood  you  can,  first.  We 
won't  starve  as  long  as  we  can  find  eggs ; "  and  Mr. 
Eeady  accidentally  stepped  on  the  nest  of  a  duck  and 
broke  three  of  the  eggs. 

The  boys  laughed  as  they  went  to  gather  up  the  drift- 
wood, and  Mr.  Ready  remained  and  hunted  for  eggs 
while  they  were  thus  engaged.  He  soon  collected  a  hat- 
ful, and  then  joined  the  boys  around  the  fire. 

"  We  have  got  the  tin  bailer,  plenty  of  water,  plenty  of 
fire,  and  plenty  of  eggs  if  we  have  to  stay  here  to-night, 
for  one  supper,  anyway." 

"And  I've  got  a  fish-line  and  several  hooks,  but  no 
bait,"  remarked  Allie.  "  I  am  going  to  try  my  luck  on 
that  big  stone  there,  —  it  looks  deep  beyond,  and  we 
might  catch  some  tomcods." 

Allie  produced  the  fish-line  and  hooks  from  his  pocket, 
and  soon  had  them  rigged  for  his  purpose.  He  found 
the  head  of  the  cod  they  had  eaten  for  dinner,  from 
which  he  got  bait,  and  was  soon  with  hook  and  line  in 
the  water  waiting  results. 

"  Don't  bite  very  fast,  do  they  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Ready,  half 
an  hour  later,  noticing.  Allie  still  perched  upon  the  rock 
with  his  line  in  the  water. 

"  I've  had  just  one  bite,"  said  Allie,  "  and  I  think  that 
that  was  either  a  stone  or  a  lobster." 

"  I  wonder  where  Fred  is  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Ready ;  "  I 
haven't  seen  him  since  you  began  to  fish." 

About  half  an  hour  later  Fred  came  along  with  his 
hatful  of  sea  shells.  They  were  a  large  whitish  shell, 
almost  two  inches  long  and  an  inch  in  diameter,  and 
every  one  had  a  live  animal  in  it. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  these  things  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Ready,  in  great  disgust. 


876  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Why,  I'm  going  to  eat  them  for  my  supper,"  said 
Freddie,  "  they're  splendid  eating ;  didn't  you  ever  try 
them  ?  " 

"  Tm  sure  I  never  did,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "  how  do  you 
eat  them ;  you  don't  eat  them  raw,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  no !  "  replied  Fred,  disgusted  in  his  turn,  "  you 
first  extract  the  animal,  then  fill  the  shell  with  sand, 
stop  it  up  with  seaweeds,  fry  them  in  pork  scraps,  and 
eat  them  with  cream,"  said  Fred,  laughing,  "the  liver 
furnishes  first-rate  material  for  the  teeth.  But  really 
the  trouble  is,  I've  got  to  boil  them  in  salt  water,  —  or 
dig  a  hole  in  the  sand,  roll  them  up  in  seaweed,  and  cook 
them  with  the  fire  on  top,  Indian  style.  I  guess  I'll  boil 
them,"  he  remarked,  after  a  short  pause. 

Just  then  Allie  got  a  bite,  and,  to  the  delight  of  all, 
hauled  in  a  fine  lobster. 

"  What  can  we  do  with  him,  now  we  have  got  him  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Ready.  "  We  can't  boil  him  in  salt  water,  and 
there  isn't  any  other  way  to  cook  him,  that  I  know  of. 
Guess  we'd  better  keep  him,  his  flesh  may  come  in  handy, 
some  way  or  other.  We  may  be  glad  to  get  so  much,  — • 
though  if  you  can  get  one  at  high  tide  you  can  get 
twenty-one  at  low  tide." 

"We  might  cook  lobsters  'Indian  fashion,'  as  Fred 
calls  it,"  said  Allie. 

"  And  fish,  too  ! "  laughed  Mr.  Ready. 

"  I  don't  care ! "  maintained  Fred,  "  I'm  going  to  try  it." 

"  There  !  I've  caught  something,"  said  Allie,  tugging 
away  at  his  line,  and  drawing  the  object  nearer  and 
nearer.  "  There  you  are,  my  boy ! "  cried  he,  as  he 
landed  a  fine,  large  flounder  right  in  the  middle  of  the  fire. 

"  Pull  him  out  there,  Fred,  quick  !  " 

Fred  pulled  him  out,  and  exclaimed  at  the  same  time 


CAST  AWAY   UPON  AN  ISLAND.  377 

as  to  what  a  fine  mess  of  things  they  had  for  their  Indian 
bake. 

"You  don't  try  any  experiments  with  that  flounder," 
laughed  Allie.  "  If  we  have  to  stay  here  all  night,  as  is 
too  likely,  we  want  at  least  one  good  thing  for  supper." 

"  Now  Fm  going  off  to  see  vhat  I  can  find,"  laughed 
Mr.  Heady,  as  he  trudged  off  towards  the  top  of  the  rock, 
with  the  coffee-pot  in  one  hand  and  his  tin  mug  in  the 
other. 

Fred  now  began  transferring  the  fire,  stick  by  stick, 
to  a  convenient  place  several  feet  distant  from  where  it 
then  was.  Then  with  a  broad  stick  he  dug  away  the 
sand  and  glowing  embers  remaining,  until  he  had  made 
quite  a  deep  and  wide  hole.  Into  this  he  put  a  quantity 
of  damp  seaweed,  then  his  lobster  and  shells  carefully 
upon  the  mass,  upon  this  he  packed  more  seaweed,  and 
finally  scraped  the  sand  and  embers  back  again  upon 
the  pile. 

"  There,  now,  stay  there  until  you  are  cool ! "  said 
Fred.  "  What,  another  !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  Allie  landed 
his  second  flounder,  one  almost  as  big  as  the  first. 

"  Another  what ! "  sounded  Mr.  Ready's  voice,  close 
by ;  then  Mr.  Heady  appeared,  holding  the  coffee-pot  in 
one  hand,  just  the  same  as  when  he  had  left,  and  the  tin 
cup  in  the  other. 

"  Another  cup  of  coffee,  if  you  please,"  laughed  Fred. 

"  Certainly,  if  you'll  only  wait  until  supper-time." 

"  Where's  the  water  coming  from  ?  "  asked  Fred. 

"  From  the  clouds  of  heaven,"  said  Mr.  Beady. 

"  Must  be  pretty  funny  weather  where  you  have  been," 
remarked  Allie,  "  to  fill  your  pot  so  quick  ! " 

"  Didn't  you  see  that  pool  of  water  in  the  hollow  of 
the  rocks  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  when  we  were  fixing 


378  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

the  signal?"  asked  Mr.  Ready.  "There's  good  water 
for  you  there,  and  plenty  of  it." 

"  /  think  this  is  ever  so  much  more  like  getting  cast 
away  than  anything  else  that  we  have  had,"  said  Fred. 
"  Lucky  we  saved  the  coffee ;  what  is  that  big  paper 
next  to  the  rock  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  declare ! "  remarked  Mr.  Keady,  "  if  that  isn't  the 
package  of  hardtack  we  took  with  us  ;  I  forgot  all  about 
it." 

"  Cold  day  when  we  get  left,  hoop'er  up  for  number 
three  ! "  sung  out  Allie,  pulling  in  his  third  fish,  "  but  I'm 
going  to  stop  fishing ;  we've  got  enough  to  eat,  'tis  getting 
dark,  and  I'm  tired, — been  fishing  nearly  two  hours  and 
caught  three  fish.  It's  too  '  few  and  far  between.' " 

"  I  guess  the  water  won't  come  into  the  corner  of  the 
rocks  here ;  let's  go  and  get  some  grass  and  make  a  bed," 
said  Mr.  Ready. 

Throwing,  hastily,  some  sticks  on  the  fire,  all  three 
ran  up  the  bank  and  were  soon  returning  with  their  arms 
full  of  grass. 

"  I  think  we'd  better  lie  right  on  the  sand,"  said  Mr. 
Ready,  "  this  grass  is  too  wet  to  lie  on.  It  will  make  a 
good  pillow,  anyway,  with  some  dry  seaweed  over  it." 

"  If  we  could  get  something  to  lie  over  it  to  keep  our 
heads  from  its  dampness,"  said  Allie. 

"  Why  not  take  some  dry  seaweed  ?  "  said  Mr.  Ready. 
"  That's  good  enough,  I'm  sure." 

"  It's  too  dry  and  brittle,"  said  Allie,  "  'twould  scratch 
your  face." 

"  Why,  rest  your  head  on  your  arm,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

"  I'll  bet  we'll  sleep  fast  enough,  when  the  time  comes," 
said  Fred,  who  was  diligently  engaged  in  digging  up  his 
Indian  bakery. 


CAST  A  WA  Y   UPON  AN  ISLAND.  379 

"This  is  just  what  I  call/ww.  I'd  rather  be  here  than 
anywhere  else,  just  now ;  it's  more  real  than  anything 
else  we've  had  yet,  and  I  don't  care  if  we  stay  here  a 
week,  if  the  coffee  don't  give  out." 

The  others  laughed  at  this.  The  idea  of  men  cast 
away  on  a  desert  island,  living  on  the  fat  of  the  land 
and  drinking  coffee,  was  too  ridiculous  to  resist  laughing 
at  it. 

Fred  took  no  notice  of  them,  however,  but  soon  dug 
out  his  shells  and  his  lobster ;  and  having  tried  one  of 
the  shells,  and  a  claw  of  the  lobster,  and  pronounced 
them  perfect,  he  filled  up  the  hole  again,  smoothed  over 
the  sand,  and  then  put  sticks  on  the  fire  until  it  burned 
up  bright  and  high. 

It  was  now  getting  quite  dark,  and  so  Mr.  Eeady  be- 
gan to  prepare  the  supper.  He  first  cooked  more  eggs, 
then  broiled  the  fish  on  forked  sticks,  though  it  was  "  the 
most  difficult  piece  of  work,"  he  said,  that  he  "  ever  per- 
formed, broiling  a  flounder  on  a  forked  stick ; "  but  at 
last  it  was  successfully  accomplished.  Then  he  boiled 
the  coffee,  and  soon  had  everything  ready. 

"  Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding-ding-ding-ding ! "  shout- 
ed Mr.  Ready,  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

"Hooray  for  supper  !  "  cried  Fred,  from  the  top  of  the 
rock,  and  he  and  Allie  came  tumbling  down  in  a  tremen- 
dous hurry,  barking  their  shins  terribly  from  several 
stumbles  in  so  doing. 

The  supper  disappeared  as  the  dinner  had  done  before, 
and  only  as  was  possible  to  hungry  boys,  excited  by  the 
situation,  and  the  prospect  of  remaining  out  all  night. 
The  eggs,  coffee,  and  hardtack  disappeared  so  rapidly, 
and  there  was  such  an  abundance  of  them,  that  Fred's 
lobster  and  shellfish  were  almost  untouched. 


380  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  They're  awful  good,  just  the  same,"  said  Fred,  per- 
sistently ;  yet  even  he  ate  more  of  the  other  things  than 
of  them.  After  supper  they  all  sat  up  and  talked  for 
nearly  an  hour,  and  then,  throwing  the  rest  of  the  wood 
on  the  fire,  they  sought  the  corner  of  the  rocks  and  threw 
themselves  upon  their  sand-beds  with  grass  pillows,  the 
latter  by  this  time  quite  dry  from  being  spread  in  front 
of  the  fire,  and  were  soon  all  fast  asleep. 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A   BIG  DINNER.  381 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

THE    RESCUE    AND    A    BIG    DINNER. 

"  T  WONDER  where  those  boys  can  be!"  remarked 

X.  Mrs.  Benton,  as  the  family  sat  down  to  the  supper- 
table.  "  I  only  hope  that  they  haven't  floundered ! " 
Everybody  laughed  at  this  innocent  mistake,  and,  after 
correcting  herself,  the  good  lady  continued :  "  If  they 
don't  come  pretty  soon,  their  supper  will  get  cold.  I  can't 
imagine  what  keeps  them  away  so  long." 

At  that  moment  a  noise  was  heard  at  the  door,  and 
Eva  Imrried  to  open  it,  but  found  no  one  but  Mr.  Cooper 
there,  who  had  come  up  from  the  wharf  where  he  had 
fastened  his  boat. 

"  Come  in,  Mr.  Cooper,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton  from 
his  seat.  "  Can  you  tell  iis  anything  of  Mr.  Heady  and 
the  boys  ?  they  have  not  yet  arrived." 

"  They  were  with  us  on  the  fishing-ground,"  replied 
Mr.  Cooper,  "early  in  the  afternoon;  and  when  the 
squall  struck,  they  were  like  us  trying  to  reach  the 
bay.  We  succeeded,  but  I  imagine  that  the  wind  was 
worse  for  them  than  it  was  for  us  even,  as  they  were 
further  seaward,  —  and  should  not  be  greatly  surprised  if 
they  had  turned  and  scud  for  one  of  the  islands  outside." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Benton,  "  that  is  surely  very  true, 
but  that  would  not  hinder  them  from  returning  home 
now  the  gale  is  over." 

"  I  can  hardly  think  that  they  would  stay  away  with- 


382  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

out  some  good  and  sufficient  reason,"  Mr.  Cooper  added. 

"  I  do  hope  they  haven't  drowned,"  remarked  Eva,  the 
tears  coming  into  her  eyes  in  spite  of  her  efforts  to  appear 
calm. 

"  They  are  somewhere  around,  and  some  accident  has 
happened  to  them,  you  may  depend.  Mr.  Ready  is  a 
good  sea-dog  within  a  safe  distance  of  land." 

"  They  may  have  gone  to  one  of  the  islands,  and  decided 
to  stay  there  over  night  to  please  the  boys,"  remarked  Mr. 
Cooper. 

"  Possibly ;  but  I  do  not  imagine  that  they  would  even 
think  of  such  a  thing  while  there  was  the  least  chance  of 
those  at  home  being  really  worried  about  them.  If  they 
were  going  to  do  anything  of  that  kind,  they  would  take 
a  day  for  it  especially,  and  not  such  a  time  as  this  ;  no," 
replied  Mr.  Benton,  decidedly,  "you  may  depend  that 
some  accident  has  happened  somewhere." 

"  You  might  place  a  lighted  lantern  on  the  end  of  a 
pole,  and  raise  it  on  the  top  of  the  hill,"  put  in  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, now  speaking  for  the  first  time. 

"  That  might  be  easily  done,  and  would  not  be  a  bad 
idea,"  replied  the  mate. 

With  the  required  authority  from  Mr.  Benton,  Mr. 
Cooper  and  Mr.  Taylor  started  off  to  execute  the  task. 

The  lantern  was  found  without  much  difficulty,  and,  in 
place  of  a  suitable  pole,  an  oar  was  substituted,  and  the 
two  proceeded  to  the  top  of  the  ridge,  where  there  was 
already  a  large  pile  of  stones,  or  an  "  American  man,"  as 
the  sailors  called  it,  piled  up  close  to  the  edge  of  the 
bank,  and  where  it  would  command  the  best  view  of  the 
surrounding  scenery. 

"  Here  is  the  best  place  we  could  possibly  find,"  said 
Mr.  Taylor.  "  I  will  move  these  stones  on  the  top  a 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A   BIG  DINNER.  383 

little,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  can  then  thrust  the 
end  of  the  oar  down  into  the  pile  sufficiently  far  for  it  to 
remain  standing." 

The  lantern  was  then  fastened  to  the  blade  of  the  oar, 
and  the  handle  easily  pushed  quite  a  distance  down  in 
among  the  stones. 

"There,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper,  taking  hold  of  the 
handle  of  the  oar  and  giving  it  a  vigorous  shake ;  "  I 
guess  that  is  firm  enough  to  stand,  for  to-night  at  least ; 
but  what  is  that  light  over  yonder  ?  " 

"  Where  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  There,  over  the  point  of  those  rocks." 

"  I  see  no  light  anywhere." 

"  I  do  not  see  it  myself  now,  but  I  did  see  it." 

"  There  it  is,  again ;  and  there." 

"  Yes ;  I  do  see  something  flickering  quite  a  distance 
out  to  sea,  on  our  left." 

"  Yes,  that  is  where  I  saw  it,"  said  Mr.  Cooper.  "  Take 
the  oar  down  and  wave  the  lantern.  Quick,  before  you 
lose  sight  of  their  light." 

Mr.  Taylor  hurried  down  the  oar  and  Mr.  Cooper 
caught  the  lantern  from  the  blade,  and  in  a  moment 
was  swinging  it  around  his  head  with  the  slow,  steady 
motion  of  one  used  to  making  such  signals. 

"Do  you  see  the  light  again  ?     Is  there  an  answer  ?  " 

"  I  see  the  light  again,  but  it  doesn't  look  like  a  signal, 
to  me." 

The  reader  will  easily  understand  that  the  fiickerings 
that  they  saw,  were  simply  the  brightening  of  the  fire 
that  the  boys  had  made  upon  the  island  as  they  threw 
the  remainder  of  their  wood  upon  it  before  going  to 
sleep.  The  flames,  then,  certainly  could  return  no  sig- 
nal, while  they,  by  brightening  the  atmosphere  about 


WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

them,  prevented  either  the  boys  or  Mr.  Keady  from  see- 
ing the  lantern,  Avhich  was  raised  only  a  few  moments,  in 
fact,  before  they  had  gone  to  sleep. 

"  Do  you  see  anything  ?  "  asked  the  mate. 

"  Not  a  thing.  I  saw  a  flickering  light  once,  but  it  has 
gone  now.  I  think  it  must  have  been  the  light  from 
some  vessel  that  has  now  turned  her  bow  more  seaward, 
so  that  we  cannot  see  her  lights." 

"  But  why  does  she  not  answer  our  signal  ?  "  returned 
the  mate.  "  And  are  we  not  watching  in  the  exact  direc- 
tion of  Mouse  Island  ?  " 

"  That's  true ;  I  wonder  I  never  thought  of  that  before. 
That  light  must  be  on  the  shore  somewhere,  then ;  per- 
haps on  the  island  itself." 

"  That  is  my  impression ;  and  it  is  probably  on  Mouse 
Island.  As  Mr.  Eeady  had  no  lantern  that  I  know  of  in 
his  boat,  it  must  be  either  a  torch  or  a  fire  that  we  see. 
If  it  was  a  torch,  we  should  see  it  often ;  if  a  fire,  we 
might  only  see  the  flickerings.  In  the  one  case  we  shall 
see  it  again,  and  then  know  that  they  are  alive  and  have 
seen  our  signal,  and  are  responding  to  it ;  in  the  other 
they  may  not  have  seen  us  at  all,  and  are  either  busy 
somewhere  else  about  the  island  or  have  gone  to  sleep." 

At  that  moment  the  fire  gave  an  unusually  bright 
flicker,  and  sent  its  flames  up  into  the  sky,  while  the 
flickering  continued,  though  with  much  smaller  flames, 
for  several  seconds. 

"  There  ! "  said  Mr.  Cooper.  "  There  is  no  need  of  wav- 
ing that  lantern  any  more  now.  We  had  better  leave  it 
here  on  the  end  of  the  oar  as  a  guide,  but  it  is  plain 
enough  to  me  now  that  it  is  a  fire,  and  they  have  prob- 
ably gone  to  sleep  long  before  this,  it  now  being  quite 
dark  and  rather  late.  They  must  have  lost  their  boat,  or 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A   BIG  DINNER.  385 

they  never  would  stay  out  there  such  a  damp  night  as 
this.  The  quicker  we  get  over  there  the  better,  I  am 
thinking." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right,"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 

Leaving  the  lantern  on  the  oar,  propped  up  in  the 
"  American  man,"  the  two  then  went  down  to  report  to 
those  at  the  house  what  they  had  seen. 

"  Get  the  boat  at  once,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  when  he  had 
heard  the  report,  "  and  row  over  to  the  island  as  quick 
as  you  can,  —  if  you  can  find  it." 

"  No  fear  of  that,"  returned  the  mate.  "  The  night  is 
dark,  but  'tis  clear.  There  is  no  mist  or  fog,  I  mean." 

"  Exactly  ;  I  understand  you  ;  go  at  once." 

The  mate  went  out,  and  was  soon  followed  by  Mr. 
Taylor,  who  had  hastily  gathered  several  overcoats  upon 
his  arm,  to  put  over  the  boys  in  case  they  should  be 
found  wet.  Upon  the  wharf  the  men  had  already  loos- 
ened the  boat,  and  were  ready  to  pull  off.  Mr.  Taylor 
jumped  into  the  boat,  and  everything  being  ready,  the 
word  was  given,  and  the  men  began  rapidly  but  steadily 
to  pull  off  into  the  darkness. 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  cried  Eva,  as  soon  as  the  door  was  closed, 
"I  do  hope  that  nobody  is  drowned.  I  am  awfully 
afraid  that  something  terrible  has  happened." 

"  If  anything  has  happened,"  remarked  Mr.  Benton  in 
his  matter-of-fact  business  way,  "  the  quicker  we  know 
it  the  better." 

"  I  really  can't  imagine  in  what  condition  those  chil- 
dren must  be,"  remarked  Mr.  Benton.  "If  they  have 
lost  their  boat  and  swam  ashore,  they  are  probably  wet, 
and  cold,  and  hungry.  My  dear,  perhaps  you  had  better 
stir  the  fire  up  and  warm  some  coffee." 

Mrs.  Benton  put  a  few  sticks  of  wood  in  the  stove, 


386  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

filled  the  coffee-pot,  and  placed  it  over  the  fire ;  then  she 
returned  to  her  seat  and  took  up  her  sewing,  while  all 
occupied  their  time  as  patiently  and  as  pleasantly  as 
they  could  until  news  of  the  absent  ones  should  come. 

Meanwhile  the  boat  was  rowed  silently  yet  swiftly 
from  the  harbor  out  into  the  bay.  After  rounding  the 
point,  Mr.  Cooper  steered  directly  for  the  island,  and 
bidding  the  men  row  with  all  their  might,  he  turned  and 
began  to  talk  with  Mr.  Taylor. 

"I  can't  see  what  has  kept  them  away,"  said  Mr. 
Cooper,  "  unless  things  are  as  I  have  supposed." 

"I  think  your  suppositions  are  reasonable,  at  any 
rate,"  replied  the  other. 

"  But  how  could  they  have  lost  their  boat  ?  Did  a 
squall  strike  it  and  did  it  capsize  ?  In  such  a  case  their 
matches  would  be  too  wet  to  light,  it  seems  to  me ;  yet  they 
might  have  time  to  dry  them  provided  they  were  really 
damaged.  I  am  greatly  of  the  opinion  that,  after  land- 
ing at  the  island  she  must  have  drifted  off,  either  with 
one  of  the  boys  alone  in  her,  or  empty,  and  thus  left  the 
others  helpless,  as  well  as  whoever  might  have  happened 
to  be  in  the  boat." 

"  I  hope  those  boys  know  enough  by  this  time  to  be 
able  to  manage  a  boat,  and  if  they  could  you  may  be  sure 
they  would  soon  return  again,  had  any  one  of  them  been 
driven  out  to  sea,"  remarked  Mr.  Taylor,  in  a  low  voice. 

"I've  made  up  my  mind,  very  decidedly,"  said  the 
mate,  "that  either  a  very  bad  accident  has  happened,  or 
else,  landing  on  the  island  to  avoid  the  squall,  which 
was  directly  against  their  returning  home,  their  boat  has 
floated  off  with  the  tide  and  left  them  helpless." 

All  this  while  their  boat  was  slowly  approaching  the 
island.  Soon  it  passed  the  shade  of  a  huge  rock,  that 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A   BIG  DINNER.  387 

had  hitherto  hidden  their  view,  and  they  beheld  the  fire 
upon  the  shore  of  the  island.  A  few  moments  later  and 
they  had  reached  the  beach  and  jumped  ashore. 

Tired  after  their  afternoon's  work,  Mr.  Eeady  and  the 
boys  slept  as  sound  as  logs ;  they  were  entirely  uncon- 
scious that  hardly  an  hour  after  they  had  lain  down  four 
grown  men  had  landed  within  ten  feet  of  them,  and  were 
then  warming  their  hands  at  the  fire  and  watching  the 
sleepers. 

"  That  don't  look  much  like  any  very  serious  acci- 
dent," remarked  Mr.  Taylor,  laughing  and  shrugging  his 
shoulders  as  he  held  his  hands  toward  the  fire,  and  tried 
to  warm  himself,  for  the  night  air  was  quite  chilly. 

"  I  should  say  not,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper.  "  I'll  war- 
rant the  boys,  at  least,  and  Mr.  Keady  too,  as  for  that 
matter,  have  been  having  a  good  time  of  it." 

"  A  regular  camping  out  spree,"  laughed  the  other.  "It 
seems  too  bad  to  wake  them  up.  We  might  go  away  and 
leave  them,  and  come  again  for  them  in  the  morning." 

Mr.  Cooper  then  stooped  down  and  touched  Mr.  Eeady 
lightly  on  the  arm  ;  the  latter,  being  a  good  seaman,  was 
awakened  instantly,  and  immediately  aroused  himself 
and  sat  up,  rubbing  his  eyes,  and  surveying  the  group 
before  him  with  repeated  short  stares  of  wonderment. 

"  Hum ! "  was  the  first  expression  from  Mr.  Ready's 
lips,  when  he  could  recover  from  his  astonishment  suffi- 
ciently to  speak. 

"  Hum !  seems  to  me  the  enemy  has  '  caught  us  nap- 
ping,' and  we  are  took." 

Mr.  Taylor  sort  of  laughed  all  over,  as  he  huddled  up 
over  the  fire,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  Well !  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  us,  now  you 
have  got  us,  Mr.  Enemy  ?  " 


388  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Take  you  home,"  growled  Mr.  Cooper.  "  You  ought 
to  have  a  keeper,  you  had ;  you're  too  young  to  take  care 
of  yourself,  you,  are.  You're  wus'n  a  small  boy,  you  be." 

"  Lud-o'-massy !  what  you  talking  about  ?  "  said  Mr. 
Ready,  now  fully  aroused.  "  You  don't  know  any  more 
about  what  yer  talking  about  than  an  old  bantam.  How 
did  you  expect  me  to  get  back  without  the  boat  ?  I 
can't  walk  on  the  water,  and  I  an't  got  wings  any  more 
than  you  have,  and  an't  likely  to  have,  either !  " 

"  Of  course  you  can't  back  without  a  boat ;  but  where 
is  your  boat  ?  " 

"How  do  I  know?  We  fastened  it  stout  enough, 
but  the  tide  wore  the  rope  off  the  end  of  the  rock,  and 
'twas  gone  before  we  knew  it." 

"  Yes,  I  do  think  you  need  a  keeper ! "  remarked  Mr. 
Cooper.  "You  need  one  bad,  you  do;  I  thought  you 
was  a  sailor  and  not  a  confounded  land-lubber." 

Mr.  Ready  was  full  of  good-nature ;  no  one  could  ever 
make  him  cross,  but  this  was  too  much,  and  he  immedi- 
ately began  to  take  off  his  coat  and  roll  up  his  sleeves. 
Then  he  doubled  up  .one  fist  and  began  pounding  it  in 
the  hollow  of  his  other  hand. 

"  There,  sir  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  "  I'm  prepared  to 
fight  the  hull  of  yer;  singly,  individooally,  and  ter- 
gether." 

"Put  on  your  coat,  man,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  laughing. 
"  You'll  catch  your  death  ! " 

"Well,  I  don't  know  but  what  'twould  be  just  as 
well,"  returned  Mr.  Ready.  "  I  guess  I'll  take  your  ad- 
vice, especially"  and  Mr.  Ready  emphasized  this  word, 
particularly,  "especially  as  this  gentleman,"  poking  his 
thumb  in  the  direction  of  Mr.  Cooper,  "  backs  out  —  " 

Mr.  Cooper  stepped  out  and  in  a  twinkling  grasped 


THE   RESCUE  AND  A   BIG  DINNER.  389 

Mr.  Ready  by  the  arms,  and  laid  him  on  the  sand  at 
his  feet  in  a  most  thorough  and  seaman-like  manner. 

" — 'til  he  can  get  at  the  enemy's  rear,"  continued  Mr. 
Heady,  rising  and  brushing  off  the  sand. 

At  this  everybody  laughed  so  heartily  that  even  the 
sleeping  boys  rolled  over  and  opened  their  eyes,  to  see 
what  all  the  noise  was  about. 

A  moment  later  and  all  hands  tumbled  into  the  boat, 
and  were  soon  making  their  way  home  in  the  best  of 
humor. 

In  half  an  hour  the  boat  had  reached  the  landing,  and 
the  party  rushed  into  the  house  to  meet  with  a  hearty 
welcome  from  those  in  waiting  for  them.  The  hot 
coffee,  a  plate  of  sea  biscuits,  and  several  other  articles 
of  food  were  brought  out,  and  all  joined  in  the  lunch ; 
even  Mrs.  Benton  and  Mr.  Benton  nibbling  a  piece  of 
the  hardtack.  Then  came  the  story  of  how  the  boat 
was  lost,  and  how  they  had  prepared  to  camp  out  until 
somebody  should  come  to  the  rescue;  and  finally,  how 
they  were  awakened  and  brought  home. 

"  As  for  the  lost  boat,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "  I  am  afraid 
she's  gone  where  the  good  old  Sea  Foam  has  gone,  and 
that  we'll  never  see  her  again." 

"  That's  of  no  account  whatever,  provided  you  are  all 
safe,"  remarked  Mr.  Benton. 

"  We  are  all  here,  anyway,"  laughed  Mr.  Ready. 

"  Well,  we'll  be  thankful  for  that  and  go  to  bed,  then," 
remarked  the  former. 

A  little  later  and  the  house  was  wrapped  in  slumber, 
all  being  pretty  thoroughly  tired  out. 

The  next  morning  when  the  boys  came  down  to 
breakfast,  rather  late  in  the  day  for  them,  and  well  on 
toward  nine  o'clock,  they  found  Eva  all  rigged  out  in 


390  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

the  worst  clothes  she  could  find,  and  busily  wrapping  up 
a  lunch. 

"  What  you  doing,  Eva  ?  "  cried  Freddie. 

"You  may  be  sure  /  shan't  tell,  now,"  retorted  Eva. 
"  You've  all  had  your  fun ;  now  I'm  going  to  have  mine. 
Come,  Mr.  Taylor,  I'm  ready." 

And  the  two  walked  off  arm  in  arm,  the  former  with 
two  fish-poles  carefully  done  up  together  and  thrown 
over  his  shoulder. 

"  Well,  I  declare,  if  that  isn't  game.  I  say,  boys,  if 
they  an't  going  fishing,  I  will  give  in." 

"Yes,  we  are  going  fishing,  and  not  for  tomcods  or 
sculpin,  either." 

"  Salmon,"  cried  Freddie,  "  I  guess  by  the  looks." 

"  You  wait  and  you'll  see  ! " 

"  That's  what  I  guess  we'll  have  to  do,"  said  Allie,  as 
Eva  disappeared  around  the  corner  of  the  house.  "  I 
say,  Max ! " 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Won't  you  give  me  another  of  those  cod  heads  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  boy ;  two  of  them  if  you  want,"  said  Max, 
dishing  up  a  large  one  and  putting  it  on  Allie's  plate. 

"  What  can  we  find  to  do  with  ourselves  to-day  ?  "  re- 
marked the  disconsolate  Freddie.  "  I  am  almost  as  tired 
as  I  was  last  night.  I  think  it  was  awfully  mean  to  wake 
us  up  last  night  and  bring  us  home." 

"  I  wonder  if  they'll  find  the  lost  boat  ?  "  put  in  John. 

"  Oh,  no ;  that's  gone,  long  ago.  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  it  was  half  way  to  Newfoundland  by  this  time,"  said 
Allie. 

"I  say,  boys,  the  redberries  must  be  getting  ripe. 
What  say  all  to  taking  some  pails  and  going  out  for  a 
try  ?  I  believe  we  can  find  enough  to  make  it  pay." 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A   BIG  DINNER,  391 

The  assent  was  general,  and  the  question  of  the  day,  or 
the  morning  rather,  thus  disposed  of,  all  put  in  a  double 
allowance  of  breakfast,  and  started  off  to  find  their  pails. 

The  redberiy  is  a  species  of  small  cranberry,  and, 
like  the  cranberry,  is  dark  red  when  fully  ripe.  That 
they  could  not  expect  to  find  now,  but  yet  they  might 
be  ripe  enough  to  stew  or  make  a  pie  of  with  plenty  of 
sugar.  The  vines  grow  low  and  thick,  and  often  oblige 
one  to  get  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  part  the  leaves, 
before  finding  the  berries.  They  generally  grow  in  large 
tracts,  and  are  generally  very  abundant  when  they  are 
once  found. 

Ten  minutes  sufficed  for  the  boys  to  get  their  pails 
and  start  for  the  hill  above  the  house,  which  they  were 
soon  climbing  while  searching  carefully,  in  every  level 
spot  as  they  went,  for  signs  of  berries. 

"  Here's  a  patch ! "  cried  John,  stooping  and  picking 
some  berries. 

"Of  leaves,  I  guess,"  laughed  Freddie,  seeing  'that 
John  stopped  picking  all  of  a  sudden  and  started  off 
in  another  direction. 

"  I  got  three,  anyway,"  said  John,  triumphantly,  show- 
ing his  pail ;  "  and  if  that  isn't  a  batch,  it  is  more  than 
either  of  you  has,  anyway." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Freddie,  silenced  at  once.  "  I  guess 
I'd  better  be  still  until  I  find  something  to  talk  about." 

Just  then  Allie  stooped  down  and  began  to  pick  some- 
thing; slowly  at  first,  then  more  rapidly  as  he  pro- 
gressed. Freddie  saw  that  the  patch  of  green,  at  which 
Allie  was  at  work,  extended  some  distance  up  the  hill 
and  to  the  left,  and,  taking  the  clue,  he  silently  started 
for  the  other  end  of  it;  nor  was  he  disappointed,  the 
berries  being  as  thick  there  as  where  Allie  was.  As 


392  IVRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

John  had  wandered  off  to  the  right,  the  two  boys  picked 
on  iii  silence. 

Just  then  John  caught  sight  of  a  butterfly,  and,  drop- 
ping his  pail  with  the  three  berries  in  it,  which  were 
spilled  out  and  consequently  lost,  he  was  off  and  away, 
swinging  his  cap  and  calling  on  the  other  boys  to  look 
after  his  berries. 

While  John  was  after  the  butterfly,  the  other  boys 
picked  berries,  which  were  thick,  and  some  even  almost 
wholly  ripe  in  the  place  that  they  had  found. 

In  a  few  minutes  John  came  running  back  again, — 
of  course  without  the  butterfly,  and  in  a  white  heat ;  by 
this  time  the  secret  could  be  kept  no  longer,  and  John 
himself  was  soon  picking  with  the  rest. 

The  patch  was  large  and  the  berries  were  thick.  The 
pails  were  small  pint  pails  except  John's,  which  was  a 
large  two-quart  one;  so  the  boys  picked  and  emptied 
into  his. 

While  they  were  picking,  a  large  bee  came  quite  close 
to  Allie,  and  lit  on  a  flower  near  by. 

"  How  I  wish  I  could  find  a  bee-tree,  boys,"  cried  he. 
"  Where  there  are  bees  there  must  be  honey,  somewhere." 

"  I'd  like  to  see  you  find  it,  then,"  said  Freddie. 

All  the  boys  agreed  that  they'd  help  the  successful 
one  to  get  the  honey,  if  any  one  would  find  the  tree. 

"  Let's  catch  him  and  tie  a  piece  of  string  or  ribbon  to 
his  hind-legs  and  follow  him." 

"  I'd  rather  you'd  do  that,"  laughed  Allie. 

"  Yes,"  said  John.     "  I  will  follow  him  if  you  will." 

"  I  guess  we  won't  any  of  us  get  any  honey  from  that 
bee,"  laughed  Freddie,  as  the  bee  flew  off  with  a  loud 
buzzing  noise. 

By  this  time  all  the  pails  were  full  up  to  the  brim, 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A    BIG   DINNER.  393 

and,  being  so  near  the  house,  it  was  unanimously  deter- 
mined, after  having  emptied  their  pails,  to  retui  n  and 
fill  them  again. 

A  short  run  brought  them  to  the  house.  Mrs.  Ben- 
ton  was  delighted  to  get  the  fresh  berries,  and  immedi- 
ately began  to  pick  them  over  and  prepare  some  pies, 
while  Max  soon  had  the  oven  heated  to  receive  them. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  boys  had  filled  their  pails  and 
again  emptied  them  and  started  for  their  third  trip, 
when  one  of  the  men  came  running  around  the  house 
and  shouted  that  a  large  flock  of  ducks  had  alighted 
in  a  cove  near  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  just  off  the  point 
of  rocks. 

This  was  indeed  news,  and  all  the  pails  dropped  while 
the  boys  sought  their  guns. 

After  considerable  rummaging,  several  shells  with 
heavy  charges  were  found,  and  with  loaded  guns  Allie 
and  Freddie  crept  carefully  down  to  the  shelter  of  the 
rocks,  while  John  came  slowly  on  some  distance  behind. 

The  boys  did  not  see  the  ducks  until  they  were  nearly 
upon  them. 

The  ducks  saw  the  boys  first,  and  all  dived  immedi- 
ately. The  boys  then  ran  quickly  to  the  shelter  of  a 
large  rock  close  by  the  water,  and  were  fortunate  enough 
to  reach  it  before  the  ducks  reappeared. 

When  the  ducks  began  to  show  their  heads,  most  of 
them  were  out  of  range  of  the  guns,  but  both  boys  stood 
up  in  plain  sight,  with  their  fingers  on  the  locks  of  their 
guns,  and  the  guns  cocked,  in  hopes  that  some  of  the 
ducks  might  be  foolish  enough  to  rise  within  shot.  Nor 
were  they  entirely  disappointed,  —  two  fine  large  ones 
appearing  quite  near  them,  and  apparently  utterly  un- 
conscious of  the  nearness  of  their  enemies, — probably 


394  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

having  been  between  them  and  the  rock  when  the  rest 
of  the  flock  dived. 

Both  guns  went  off  immediately,  and  two  ducks  lay  back 
upon  the  water.  Freddie's  bird  gave  a  final  kick,  but 
soon  expired. 

"  There ! "  said  Allie,  as  he  waited  patiently  for  the 
tide  to  land  them,  "  now  for  roast  duck  and  redberry  pie 
for  dinner." 

The  birds  were  two  beauties,  being  of  the  kind  called 
"  Coots,"  and  black  all  over,  with  white  patches  on  the 
wings.  They  were  fat  and  very  heavy. 

The  man  felt  of  them  and  laughed,  as  he  handed  them 
back,  saying,  "If  we  could  get  half-a-dozen  more,  now, 
'twould  be  enough  for  a  mess." 

Poor  fellow  !  he  was  doubtless  thinking  that  he  would 
not  get  much  of  the  ducks,  after  the  rest  were  satisfied. 

"  Come  out  in  the  boat  with  me  some  day,"  said  he, 
"  and  we'll  get  a  mess." 

The  boys  readily  assented  and  even  agreed  to  go  that 
afternoon. 

The  ducks  were  soon  picked  (the  best  of  the  feathers 
being  saved),  and  they  were  handed  over  to  Max,  who, 
in  a  short  time,  had  them  stuffed  and  roasting  away  in 
great  style. 

Having  put  away  their  guns,  the  boys  were  just  start- 
ing out  of  the  door  wondering  what  to  do,  when  Mr. 
Taylor  and  Eva  came  around  the  house,  the  latter  with  a 
large  string  of  fish,  which  were  suspended  from  a  forked 
stick  which  she  held  in  her  hands. 

"  There  ! "  cried  Eve,  her  eyes  sparkling  and  her  cheeks 
quite  flushed  with  animation  from  her  morning's  sport ; 
"  I  have  beaten  you  all,  you  lazy  things,  this  morning, 
and  just  in  time  for  dinner,  too  ! " 


THE  RESCUE  AND  A    BIG  DINNER.  395 

Max  came  to  the  door,  just  then,  and  winked  to  the 
boys,  as  he  laughed  and  said  yes,  to  Eva's  entreaty  to 
fry  some  for  dinner. 

"Because  you  know!"  cried  that  little  miss,  "they 
are  always  nicest  when  they  are  just  out  of  the  water." 

At  last  dinner-time  came,  and  all  thought  it  strange 
that  there  was  nothing  on  the  table  when  they  sat  down, 
and  great  was  the  mystery  when  a  huge  covered  platter 
was  placed  before  Mr.  Taylor ;  when  it  was  uncovered  it 
was  found  to  contain  trout ;  then  another  mystery  ap- 
peared, placed  at  the  other  end  of  the  table,  which  proved 
to  be  fried  codfishes'  tongues,  —  for  it  seemed  that  Max 
had  prepared  a  treat  also,  all  of  his  own ;  but  the  third 
surprise  was  the  two  roast  ducks,  placed  before  Mr. 
Benton,  —  while  two  other  dishes,  one  of  cranberry,  and 
the  other  of  apple-sauce,  capped  the  climax. 

"  Why  really,  Max  ! "  said  Mr.  Benton,  "  you  would  do 
credit  to  a  first-class  Boston  hotel ;  you  have  outdone 
yourself." 

Max  laughed  and  thought  of  the  pies  yet  to  come. 


396  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A    PICNIC. 

AND  now  the  fishing  season  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
So  far  it  had  been  a  great  success.  In  was  near- 
ing  the  last  of  September,  and  the  fish  were  growing 
larger ;  the  boats  were  obliged  to  go  farther  away  from 
the  shore  for  their  cargoes,  consequently  the  men  —  for 
the  boys  no  longer,  or  rarely,  accompanied  them  now 
—  were  obliged  to  fish  in  deeper  water,  using  heavier 
weights  and  stouter  lines.  At  last  the  last  day  of  Sep- 
tember arrived,  and  Mr.  Benton  gave  the  order  to  close 
the  "fishery." 

The  second  day  following,  for  it  would  take  a  day  to 
clean  things  up  and  finish  the  business,  was  to  be  a  grand 
celebration.  The  men  were  to  be  treated  to  the  best 
dinner  the  place  afforded,  and  undergo  the  ceremony  of 
a  discharge,  by  which  they  were  to  understand  that  there 
was  no  more  hard  daily  labor  to  be  imposed  on. them, 
unless  some  vessel  should  be  signaled  to  take  them  off. 
Their  time  was  to  be  their  own. 

All  the  fish  had  been  washed  in  troughs,  spread  out  in 
the  sun  to  dry,  and. could  now  be  safely  packed  away, 
tied  up  in  bundles  of  a  quintal — one  hundred  and  twelve 
pounds  dry  —  each.  When  the  fish  had  been  carefully 
weighed  and  bundled,  it  was  found  that  the  whole 
amount  counted  up  to  nearly  one  thousand  quintals, 
including  the  catch  of  the  last  three  weeks,  which  were 


A  PICNIC.  397 

yet  too  green  to  be  bundled,  but  which  a  few  days  of 
warm  weather  would  soon  dry. 

To  this  were  to  be  added  three  barrels  of  salted  trout, 
caught  near  the  shore  in  the  trout  nets  which  the  boys 
had  set,  and  half-a-dozen  fair  sized  salmon,  —  those  had 
been  caught  in  the  same  nets  with  the  trout. 

The  cry  on  every  side  now  seemed  to  be : 

"  What  to  do  next,"  said  Robin  to  Bobbin  ; 
"  What  to  do  next,"  said  Jack-all-alone ; 
"  What  to  do  next,"  said  this  one  to  that  one ; 
"  What  to  do  next,"  said  every  one  ! 

And  as  nothing  else  appeared  to  turn  up,  the  reply 
was: 

"  Let's  go  to  the  woods,"  said  Robin  to  Bobbin  ; 
"  Let's  go  to  the  woods,"  said  Jack-all-alone ; 
"Let's  go  to  the  woods,"  said  this  one  to  that  one; 
"Let's  go  to  the  woods,"  said  every  one! 

So  it  was  decided  to  hold  a  grand  picnic  on  that  day, 
and  Mrs.  Benton,  Max,  and  Eva  set  about  making  prepa- 
rations for  the  event. 

The  first  question  to  decide  was  where  to  hold  this 
grand  celebration.  The  boys  were  in  favor  of  the  cave, 
—  which  possessed  many  attractions,  but  whose  chief 
difficulty  was  the  hard  climb  to  the  entrance.  The  older 
and  wiser  heads  were,  therefore,  in  favor  of  the  lake,  — 
and  especially  for  this  reason :  There  was  a  cool  brook 
trickling  down  through  a  bed  of  moss  and  ferns  near  by, 
a  fine  carpet  of  dry  moss  to  sit  upon  and  on  which  to 
spread  the  cloth  for  dinner,  and  the  whole  shadowed  and 
overhung  by  tall  larches,  spruces,  and  beeches,  with  their 
white  bark.  There  were  plenty  of  rocky  channels  and 
ravines  close  by,  some  of  the  rocks  quite  brown  and 


398  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR, 

bare,  others  wholly  or  partly  overgrown  with  moss  and 
vegetation. 

"  It's  the  easiest  place  to  get  to,  and  the  prettiest 
when  you  get  there ! "  declared  Eva,  so  very  emphati- 
cally that  no  one  dared  to  argue  in  favor  of  the  cave 
after  that. 

When  the  morning  of  the  day  arrived,  and  after  the 
place  had  been  decided  on,  the  committee  on  refresh- 
ments went  to  work  to  get  up  a  dinner.  There  was  a 
large  boiled  ham  to  do  up  and  stow  away  in  the  basket, 
a  big  dish  full  of  fresh  lobster  to  pick  out  carefully  and 
neatly,  and  four  cold  ducks.  "Not  half  enough,"  said 
Eva,  who  seemed  to  take  command,  in  spite  of  Mrs. 
Benton's  attempts  at  remonstrance.  So  two  more  ducks 
were  added. 

"  There ! "  exclaimed  Fred,  bursting  into  the  room,  and 
throwing  a  large,  and  apparently  heavy  article  upon  the 
table.  «  There !  I  shot  it  all  myself." 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  cried  Eva,  excitedly. 

"  Why,  it's  a  great  goose,  that's  what  it  is ! "  replied  Fred. 

"  Whew !  Just  the  thing !  hurry  and  pick  him,  and 
I'll  put  in  some  more  wood,  and  we'll  have  just  time 
enough  to  roast  him,"  laughed  Max,  rubbing  his  hands 
together.  "How  surprised  they'll  all  be,  if  they  don't 
know  it  beforehand.  There  now,  look  sharp." 

Fred  did  look  sharp,  and  having  picked  him  and  cut 
off  the  head,  wings,  and  legs,  for  trophies,  he  handed  the 
body  to  Max,  to  be  singed,  who  soon  transferred  it  to  the 
oven. 

This  was  a  grand  secret,  and  both  Eva  and  Fred  were 
fairly  bursting  to  tell  it.  Another  basket  was  packed 
with  doughnuts  and  cheese;  another  had  several  kinds 
of  cake ;  and  still  a  third  was  loaded  with  pies. 


A  PICNIC.  399 

There  was  a  delicious  kind  of  blueberry  growing  on 
the  hills ;  but  when  ripe,  they  were  quite  soft  and  hard 
to  pick,  yet  the  boys  had  gathered  a  large  two-quart  pail 
full.  These  now  formed  a  part  of  the  lunch,  and  an  im- 
mense bowl  of  sugar  was  also  packed  into  the  basket  to 
eat  with  them.  Several  stone  jugs  full  of  fresh  spruce 
beer  were  added,  and  by  seven  o'clock  all  the  baskets 
were  full. 

Max  then  got  the  barrow  which  the  men  used  for 
their  fish,  and,  after  giving  it  a  thorough  washing,  inside 
and  out,  loaded  the  baskets  into  it,  and  all  was  ready. 

"  All  hands,  ahoy ! "  shouted  Max.  "  Where  are  you  ? 
This  is  my  day,  I'm  off  for  the  woods,"  laughed  Max,  as 
he  grasped  the  handles  of  the  barrow  and  started  toward 
the  lake. 

John  and  Allie  had  already  gone  off  with  Mr.  Taylor, 
to  find  the  best  place  to  camp  out,  and  the  rest  followed 
after  Max. 

Max  had  Fred  to  help  him,  yet  the  barrow,  full  of 
heavy  baskets,  and  carried  over  the  rough,  uneven  rocks, 
was  enough  to  make  them  both  warm. 

The  others  walked  behind,  and  chatted  pleasantly  to- 
gether as  they  proceeded  along. 

"  How  much  longer  are  we  to  stay  here,  do  you  think, 
papa  ?  "  asked  Eva. 

"I'm  sure  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea,  my  child," 
remarked  Mr.  Benton.  "  I  would  like  to  start  for  home 
to-morrow ;  we  may  have  to  spend  the  winter  here." 

"  Oh,  dear !  I  do  hope  that  we  can  get  home  before  the 
snow  comes.  It's  too  beautiful  here  to  have  to  spoil  it 
all  by  a  winter  scene,  which  must  be  terribly  gloomy." 

"We  have  been  fortunate  enough,  so  far,"  said  Mrs. 
Benton;  "think  how  much  worse  it  might  have  been. 


400  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

We  are  all  alive  and  well,  and  that  is  one  great  comfort, 
at  any  rate." 

"  I  don't  think  that  it  would  be  so  terrible  an  affair  to 
remain  here  over  winter,  after  all,"  remarked  Mr.  Ben- 
ton,  in  his  philosophical  way.  "We  have  stood  the 
summer  pretty  well." 

"Yes,  we  have  had  a  splendid  time,  but  then  it  was 
summer,  and  we  weren't  cooped  up  for  six  months  all 
together,"  added  Eva. 

While  the  older  people  were  talking  and  chatting,  the 
boys  were  having  quite  an  adventure.  They  had  found 
a  porcupine,  had  run  him  up  a  tree,  and  were  now  debat- 
ing as  to  how  to  get  him  without  cutting  down  the  tree. 

"  You  mustn't  go  too  near  him,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "  for 
if  one  of  those  quills  should  get  into  you,  it  would  be  bad 
business." 

"  Do  porcupines  really  shoot  their  quills  at  people  ?  " 
asked  Allie. 

"No,"  replied  Mr.  Taylor,  "but  they  fall  out  very 
easily,  and  the  least  touch  will  detach  them.  If  they 
stick  into  you  they  cause  great  pain,  so  you  had  best  be 
careful." 

While  they  were  all  wondering  what  to  do,  Max  and 
Fred  came  along.  The  former  stopped,  set  the  barrow 
down,  and,  throwing  off  his  jacket,  immediately  began  to 
climb  the  tree. 

"  Ah,  my  fine  rogue  ! "  cried  Max,  "  I've  caught  you, 
now,  for  sure  !  "  and  Max  climbed  on  up  the  trunk,  while 
the  porcupine,  seeming  to  know  his  danger,  crawled  to 
the  very  end  of  one  of  the  highest  branches.  "There, 
you  are  in  just  the  place  I  want  you  to  be  in,"  said  Max 
exultantly.  "Now  get  some  stones  or  clubs  ready  for 
him  the  moment  he  falls." 


A  PICNIC.  401 

The  porcupine  had  gone  as  far  as  he  could  on  the  limb 
without  falling,  and  as  to  retrace  his  steps  would  be  to 
run  right  into  Max,  he  chose  to  remain  where  he  was. 
Max  reached  the  branches,  and  was  soon  as  near  the 
animal  as  he  could  conveniently  get,  but  this  was  still 
some  distance  away. 

Max  tried  to  shake  the  limb,  but  it  was  too  stout. 
Then  he  gave  one  long  look  at  the  porcupine,  and  grasp- 
ing the  limb  with  his  hands,  and  head  pointed  outward, 
he  began  to  traverse  it,  sailor-fashion,  by  throwing  each 
leg,  alternately,  around  it,  as  he  progressed.  This  plan 
was  not  without  some  danger,  but  Max  did  not  seem  to 
care  if  he  could  only  get  the  porcupine. 

After  awhile,  the  limb  began  to  bend.  Then  Max, 
letting  his  feet  drop,  so  that  he  held  the  limb  by  his 
hands  only,  gave  it  such  a  vigorous  shaking  that  the 
porcupine  dropped  almost  immediately. 

The  boys  were  ready  with  clubs,  and  several  tough 
whacks  soon  made  an  end  of  him. 

Max  carefully  worked  his  way  back,  just  as  he  had 
come,  and  was  on  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  with 
the  boys,  as  the  rest  of  the  family  arrived  at  the  scene 
of  action. 

When  they  had  all  examined  the  animal,  Max  put  him 
on  the  barrow,  and  they  took  up  their  line  of  march  for 
the  lake,  once  more. 

"Well,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Taylor;  "here  we  are." 

Max  set  down  the  barrow  and  wiped  his  face  with  his 
handkerchief,  while  Mr.  Benton  sat  down  upon  a  rock 
and  did  exactly  the  same  thing. 

The  place  selected  was  a  smooth  grassy  level,  just 
above  a  beach  of  pure  white  sand  on  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  below  the  tall  trees  of  the  woods  above ;  back 


402  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

of  them  a  row  of  trees  sheltered  the  place  from  the  sun, 
where  a  small  brook  trickled  down  from  the  woods  into 
the  lake. 

"  This  is,  indeed,  a  charming  place,"  said  Mr.  Benton. 

Max  then  took  up  the  porcupine  and  laid  it  on  a  big 
stone  near  by,  and,  unloading  the  barrow,  started  off 
with  Mr.  Taylor  and  the  boys  for  an  hour's  ramble.  Mr. 
Taylor,  as  usual,  had  not  proceeded  far,  when  he  espied 
a  good  place  to  fish,  so  he  pulled  out  a  line,  fastened 
a  fly-hook  to  it,  and  cutting  a  long,  straight  alder  for  a 
pole,  began  to  fish.  The  others  proceeded  without  him. 

They  scrambled  on,  over  rocks,  through  the  thick, 
tangled  masses  of  spruce,  up  to  the  top  of  a  tall  cliff, 
where  they  could  overlook  the  lake  and  the  party  below, 
—  waving  their  hats  and  shouting,  as  they  went. 

"  Let's  take  a  bath,"  cried  Allie.  —  "  Here's  a  splendid 
little  pond ! " 

All  agreed  to  this,  and  were  soon  splashing  in  the  cool 
water  with  great  delight. 

All  of  a  sudden  Fred  gave  a  tremendous  scream. 

"  What's  the  matter  !  "  shouted  the  other  boys,  all  at 
once. 

"  Nothing ! "  cried  Fred,  "  but  a  big  mosquito  bit  me 
just  behind  my  ear.  Here  he  is  again ! "  and  Fred 
made  a  plunge  under  the  water. 

When  he  came  up  again,  puffing  and  blowing,  he  stared 
around  him  with  such  big  eyes,  and  such  a  wild  manner, 
that  the  other  boys  burst  out  laughing. 

"  I  don't  see  what  you  are  all  laughing  at,"  said  Fred. 

"  Of  course  you  don't ! "  said  John,  laughing  harder 
than  ever. 

"  Where  is  he  gone  ?  "  asked  Fred,  supposing  the  boys 
were  thinking,  like  himself,  of  the  mosquito. 


A   PICNIC.  403 

"  Into  the  water  !  "  said  Allie,  thinking  more  of  Fred 
than  of  the  mosquito. 

"  Did  you  see  him  ?  "  asked  Fred,  still  meaning  the 
mosquito. 

"  Yes  !  "  replied  Allie,  meaning  Fred  himself. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  There  he  is,  in  the  water." 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  There  !  "  cried  Allie,  pointing  at  Fred. 

It  now  began  to  dawn  upon  Fred  that  the  other  boys 
were  laughing  at  him,  so  with  a  great  scoop  of  both 
hands  he  sent  a  cloud  of  water  on  Max,  who  happened 
to  be  the  nearest,  and  then  made  a  plunge  and  struck  for 
the  middle  of  the  pond.  Max  was  after  him  in  a  second, 
—  but  the  pond  was  small,  and  shoaled  so  rapidly,  that 
Fred  was  out  again  and  standing  on  the  other  beach 
before  Max  caught  up  with  him. 

After  a  short  time  spent  in  this  way,  the  boys  came  out 
and  dressed  again,  feeling  greatly  refreshed  for  their  bath. 

"  Now,  where  shall  we  go  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Follow  me  ! "  shouted  Max,  as  he  plunged  into  a 
mass  of  young  spruces  near  by. 

The  boys  all  followed  and  soon  caught  Max,  who  was 
cutting  off  several  small,  roundish  balls  of  a  dark  sub- 
stance from  one  of  the  trees,  and  putting  it  into  a  piece 
of  paper  which  he  held  in  his  hand. 

"Spruce  gum.  My  jimmy  !"  exclaimed  Fred;  a  mo- 
ment later  all  the  boys  were  at  work  scraping  and  cut- 
ting. As  there  were  plenty  of  trees  there  was  plenty  of 
gum,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  they  had  between  them 
nearly  half  a  pound  of  good,  clean  gum. 

"  There  ! "  said  Max,  "  that  will  give  you  something 
to  do  for  the  next  month." 


404  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Each  boy  selected  a  fine  piece  and  put  it  into  his 
mouth,  the  heat  of  the  tongue  soon  converted  it  into  a 
most  sweet  tasting  and  pliant  wax,  —  much  different 
from  the  impure  mixtures  sold  under  the  name  of 
"Chewing  Gum,"  at  home. 

"This  is  something  like!"  cried  Allie.  "It's  just 
like  candy,  only  it  don't  dissolve." 

"  You'll  chew  that  a  good  while,"  laughed  Max,  "  be- 
fore it  does  dissolve.  I'm  greatly  afraid  that  you'll 
swallow  it  first." 

After  rambling  about  for  some  time  the  boys  worked 
their  way  around  to  where  they  had  left  Mr.  Taylor 
fishing.  Mr.  Taylor  had  four  fine  large  trout  on  a  string 
near  by,  and  was  just  in  the  act  of  throwing  his  line  for 
another,  which  he  had  started  but  failed  to  catch. 

"  There,  boys  !  "  said  Mr.  Taylor,  "  that  beats  your 
work  this  morning,  I'll  wager." 

As  Mr.  Taylor  stared  in  some  surprise  at  Fred,  who 
happened  to  be  the  nearest,  Fred  opened  his  mouth, 
pulled  out  an  immense  chew  of  gum,  and  held  it  up  in 
great  admiration. 

"  Pure  !  Mr.  Taylor,  have  a  piece  ? "  and  Fred  un- 
wrapped his  paper  and  handed  out  a  large,  clean  lump. 

Mr.  Taylor  laughed,  shrugged  his  shoulders,  looked  at 
all  four  of  the  boys,  laughed,  or  rather  smiled  again,  and 
then  took  the  piece,  and  put  it  into  his  mouth. 

"  I  suppose  I  might  as  well  be  in  fashion,"  he  remarked. 

Leaving  Mr.  Taylor  still  fishing,  the  boys  returned  to 
the  place  where  the  others  were,  and  sat  down  to  rest. 

Eva  had  got  out  a  fish  line,  and  was  trying  her  luck 
in  the  small  brook  near  by.  She  had  become  quite  a 
"fisherman,"  under  the  instructions  of  Mr.  Taylor,  and 
had  already  captured  a  dozen  small  fellows  between  six 
and  eight  inches  in  length. 


A   PICNIC.  405 

"  Great  lazy  boys  ! "  cried  that  charming  little  lady. 
"  Been  off  for  an  hour,  and  brought  back  absolutely  noth- 
ing ;  ain't  you  ashamed  ?  " 

Allie  then  gave  her  some  gum,  which  caused  her  to 
change  her  tune  immediately. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benton  now  unpacked  the  baskets,  the 
latter  having  found  a  clean  place  and  spread  the  cloth, 
and  soon  the  various  dishes  were  ranged  in  festal  order 
about  the  genial  board. 

When  the  goose  came  out,  everybody  raised  a  shout. 

"  Hello  !  what  have  you  got  there  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Benton. 
"  Where  did  that  come  from  ?  " 

Fred  ran  off  and  got  behind  a  big  rock,  where  he  could 
overhear  the  others,  who  all  crowded  around  to  see  the 
strange  object. 

After  a  long  look,  and  many  eager  questions,  it  came 
out. 

"  Where's  Fred  ?  "  exclaimed  Allie. 

Then  there  was  a  grand  hunt  for  Fred,  who  was  soon 
found,  arid  became  the  hero  of  the  day. 

While  he  was  telling  how  he  shot  the  goose,  Max  was 
loading  the  cloth  with  good  things  from  the  baskets. 

Very  soon  everybody  was  busily  engaged  eating.  Max 
had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  the  plates  full,  and  silence 
reigned  supreme,  save  for  the  tapping  of  a  woodpecker 
upon  some  hollow  tree  not  far  away,  and  the  rippling  of 
the  brook. 

"  Say  something,  somebody  ! "  cried  Eva. 

"  Mr.  Bemis  would  like  another  piece  of  duck,"  said 
Freddie. 

"  And  Fred  wants  another  piece  of  goose,"  remarked 
Mr.  Bemis  passing  his  own  plate  for  the  duck. 

"  Well,  you  shall  both  have  both,"  laughed  Max. 


406  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

It  took  nearly  an  hour  to  eat  that  lunch.  Nearly  an 
hour  ?  Yes,  nearer  two  hours.  The  boys  would  eat  all 
they  could  and  then  run  and  fish,  or  be  off  after  this  thing 
or  that  thing,  then  come  back  and  eat  again.  Even  the 
older  ones  returned  to  their  plates  several  times  after 
they  had  apparently  finished. 

After  dinner  they  all  lay  around  and  talked  and 
laughed  for  nearly  an  hour,  when  the  older  people  went 
back  to  the  house  and  laid  down  to  nap  away  the  after- 
noon. The  younger  people  amused  themselves  in  ram- 
bling about  the  woods,  and  in  fishing. 

Mr.  Taylor  caught  his  twelfth  big  trout,  the  smallest 
of  which  would  weigh  half  a  pound,  and  the  largest 
nearly  a  pound  and  a  half.  Eva  caught  her  twentieth, 
in  the  small  brook,  some  of  them  reaching  in  size  that  of 
Mr.  Taylor's  smallest. 

"  I  don't  care  ! "  remarked  that  young  lady,  "  mine  will 
be  the  nicest  eating." 

"  We  can  have  them  all  for  supper,"  said  Fred,  "  then 
we  can  tell  which  are  the  best." 

"Supper!"  cried  Mr.  Taylor,  "who  dares  to  talk  of 
supper,  now?  As  for  me,  /  couldn't  eat  any  supper, 
just  now,  if  I  had  it." 

"I  shouldn't  think  any  of  us  could,  now"  laughed 
Allie. 

"  I've  got  a  dozen  more  fish  to  catch  yet,"  remarked  Mr. 
Taylor,  "  before  the  afternoon  ends " ;  and  away  he  went 
with  his  line  and  pole. 

Max  having  finished  his  dinner  was  carefully  filling 
his  pipe  for  an  after  dinner  smoke. 

"  I  never  smokes,"  said  he,  "except  after  a  good  dinner." 

"  How  much  tobacco  have  you  used  up  since  we  came 
here  ?  "  asked  Freddie,  laughing. 


A  PICNIC.  407 

"Less  than  half  a  pound,"  replied  Max. 

"  Well,  half  a  pound  in  four  months  wouldn't  make  a 
very  hard  smoker  of  you.  It's  half  a  pound  more  than 
my  mother  would  let  me  use  though,"  said  Freddie. 

"  And  'tis  half  a  pound  more  than  you  ought  to  use  to 
be  perfectly  happy,"  laughed  Max. 

"  Then,  I  judge  you  are  not  perfectly  happy." 

Max  laughed,  but  said : 

"  Don't  I  look  happy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  do  ! "  exclaimed  Fred, 

"  Well,  I'm  not,  then,"  said  Max.  —  «  Think  of  these 
dishes  to  wash,  and  a  supper  to  get  into  the  bargain." 

"  Where's  the  porcupine  ?  "  asked  John. 

All  the  boys  jumped,  and  ran  to  look  for  the  porcupine, 
but  it  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

Then  began  a  long  search  for  the  missing  article,  which 
was  found  finally,  just  where  it  had  been  put ;  but 
propped  up  and  apparently  gnawing  a  big  bone. 

Everybody  set  up  a  shout  at  the  sight,  and  Max  was 
at  once  accused  of  the  deed.  Max  laughed  with  the  rest 
and  did  not  deny  it.  He  even  very  generously  offered 
him  his  pipe,  for  a  smoke,  but  of  course  the  porcupine 
didn't  smoke. 

The  boys  now  started  off  on  an  exploring  expedition 
for  the  other  side  of  the  pond. 

They  had  not  gone  far  before  a  tremendous  drumming 
sound  was  heard  right  above  them,  and,  in  a  moment, 
a  big  partridge  flew  off  to  the  left.  Scarcely  had  they 
gone  ten  paces  more  when  another  flew  off  to  the  right. 
Then  they  heard  the  chattering  of  a  squirrel,  and,  hear- 
ing a  slight  splash,  they  turned  and  saw  a  small  dark  ob- 
ject making  its  way  rapidly  across  the  lake  to  a  little 
island,  not  far  off. 


408  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

«  \Vhat  is  it !  "  cried  Freddie. 

"  I  guess  it's  either  a  mink  or  a  musk-'rat,"  said  Allie. 

At  that  moment  the  animal  evidently  saw  the  boys, 
or  heard  them,  for  it  dived  and  did  not  appear  in  sight 
again. 

"What  a  pity  we  have  not  got  our  guns,  groaned 
Fred. 

"  We  might  go  back  and  get  them,"  said  Allie. 

As  it  was  decided  not  to  go  for  the  guns,  the  party 
proceeded :  now  through  tangled  spruces,  now  over 
marshy  ground  and  deep  moss,  through  which  they  sunk 
to  the  knee  at  every  step,  until  the  boys  finally  came  out 
at  a  clear  space  where  flowed  a  small  stream ;  from  here 
they  could  see  Max  hard  at  work  clearing  up  the  dishes, 
and  loading  the  barrow. 

"  Let's  go  to  the  top  of  that  big  rock,"  said  John. 

So  the  boys  went  off.  It  was  a  tremendous  climb. 
At  first  the  spruces  were  so  thick  that  they  almost 
covered  the  heads  of  the  climbers.  By  and  by  they  be- 
came thinner,  and  finally  the  rock  itself  was  gained. 
A  few  moments  of  climbing  brought  them  to  the  crest  of 
the  peak,  whence  they  had  a  splendid  view.  Rocks  and 
spruces  all  around  them,  and  the  lake,  like  a  mirror, 
framed  by  nature,  lay  at  their  feet,  beautiful  and  placid. 

"  I  tell  you,  boys,  this  pays  for  the  trouble ! "  said 
Fred,  after  all  had  gazed  for  some  moments  in  silence 
at  the  scene  before  them.  "  But  there  is  Max  signaling 
to  us ;  let's  go  and  help  him  home,"  and  off  they  went, 
down  the  hill,  again  into  the  spruce  thicket,  and  an  hour 
later  all  had  reached  home  once  more,  and  the  shades  of 
evening  were  fast  approaching. 


A    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."  409 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A    TRIP    "  DOWN    ALONG." 

AND  now  the  season  was  beginning  to  advance.  The 
days  grew  short  and  the  nights  grew  long ;  while 
the  faces  of  the  whole  party  began  to  lengthen,  as  the 
prospect  of  having  to  spend  the  winter  where  they  were 
grew  upon  them. 

Mr.  Benton,  of  all  around  him,  however,  preserved  an 
imperturbable  countenance,  and  simply  smiled  whenever 
the  subject  was  mentioned  to  him  or  in  his  presence. 
Mr.  Eeady,  also,  it  is  true,  looked  grave,  but  always 
laughed  the  matter  off  with  a  knowing  wink;  yet  Mr. 
Cooper,  who  seemed  in  his  confidence,  shook  his  head 
even  to  Mr.  Ready's  wink :  but  then  the  latter  would 
say,  "  he  never  was  on  this  coast  before ;  he  never  was 
born  and  brought  up  here,  like  me." 

At  length,  one  morning,  about  a  week  after  the  picnic, 
Mr.  Benton,  at  the  breakfast  table,  after  finishing  his 
cup  of  coffee,  sat  for  some  moments  tapping  the  end  of 
his  teaspoon  upon  the  table,  apparently  in  deep  thought ; 
at  last  he  looked  up  with  a  smile  and  rather  pleased  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  as  if  he  had  just  solved  some 
deep  mental  problem,  and  then  said  : 

"Well,  Mr.  Cooper,  I  guess  you  had  better  get  the 
boats  ready  for  a  trip  '  down  along.' " 

Of  course  everybody,  not  already  in  the  secret,  started 
at  the  mention  of  the  words  "down  along."  Where  was 


410  WRECKED  ON  LABRADOR. 

this  "  down  along "  ?  As  this  was  the  thought  that 
flashed  across  everybody's  mind,  so  everybody  put  the 
question : 

••  W here's  that  ?  " 

"Why,  that's  'down  along/"  laughed  Mr.  Ready, 
winking  very  hard,  and  rubbing  his  hands  together  as 
if  the  idea,  as  it  really  did,  especially  commended  itself 
to  him  personally.  "  I  told  'em  they'd  hev  to  come  to  it, 
sooner  or  later,  —  it's  only  a  little  later,  and  we  hope  not 
too  late." 

"  What  is  it  ?  where  is  it  ?  and  when  is  it  ?  "  asked 
Freddie,  excitedly. 

While  Mr.  Ready  explained,  Mr.  Benton  looked  on 
benignly  and  smiled ;  Mr.  Cooper  looked  grave  and  even 
thoughtful,  while  the  rest  listened  with  open  eyes  and 
ears. 

"Why,  you  see,"  began  Mr.  Ready,  "that  we  are  just 
out  of  the  way  of  the  sailing  vessels.  You  see  enough 
of  them  far  out  to  sea,  but  none  have  come  near  us  —  or 
if  they  have  it  has  been  in  the  night  —  so  we  must  be  on 
an  unfrequented  part  of  the  coast,  at  a  turn  or  bend  of 
the  coast  line,  and  out  of  their  path.  Now  if  we  go  up 
the  coast  far  enough,  or  down  the  coast  far  enough, 
either  way,  we  are  sure  to  come  to  some  port.  If  we 
reach  a  port,  find  a  vessel  going  our  way,  we  can  return 
in  her  and  load  for  home.  If  we  can't  do  that  we  can 
charter  one,  without  doubt,  for  very  little,  to  take  us 
back.  I'm  for  going  down  the  coast,  or  '  down  along,'  as 
we  used  to  say,  because  I  think  I  know  where  we  are ; 
the  others  want  to  go  up  the  coast.  At  any  rate,  we  are 
going  to  try  it  down,  and  you'll  all  hev  a  chance  to  laugh 
at  me  if  we  don't  strike  something." 

To  say  that  everybody  was  wild  with  excitement  was 


A    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."  411 

putting  it  mild.  It  now  occurred  to  them  that  perhaps 
after  all  their  stay  had  not  been  compulsory,  and  that 
Mr.  Benton  had  foreseen  just  how  events  would  happen 
from  the  very  first. 

"  I  declare,"  said  Freddie,  "  it  spoils  all  the  fun  of  the 
thing.  We  haven't  been  cast  away  on  a  desert  island,  after 
all.  Perhaps  some  one  will  bring  the  Sea  Foam  around 
the  corner  of  the  bay ;  we  will  load  her  and  start  off, 
and  suddenly  wake  up  and  find  that  we  are  in  Boston." 

"  Stranger  things  than  that  have  happened,"  remarked 
Allie. 

"  I  don't  really  imagine,  though,  that  that  thing  will 
happen,  just  at  present,"  said  Freddie. 

"Probably  not,  yet  we  may  find  another  vessel  just  as 
good  as  the  Sea  Foam;  and  you  may  wake  up  some  fine 
morning  and  find  her  anchored  '  just  around  the  corner 
of  the  bay,'  and  then  we  will  all l  load  her  and  start  off,' " 
laughed  Mr.  Ready.  "  That  is  just  what  we  are  going  to 
try  to  do,  and  just  as  soon  as  we  can." 

Mr.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Ready  now  started  off  to  prepare 
the  boats  for  the  trip,  and  provision  them  for  a  week,  for 
this  purpose.  It  was  decided  to  spend  a  week  in  going 
to  the  northeastward,  and,  if  that  plan  did  not  succeed, 
then  to  return  and  try  the  same  experiment  in  the  oppo- 
site direction. 

And  now  all  hands  gathered  together  to  take  council 
regarding  the  proposed  trip.  After  some  debate  it  was 
decided  to  let  the  boys  go  in  the  boat  with  Mr.  Ready, 
while  Mr.  Cooper  and  two  of  the  men  went  in  the  other. 
A  large  piece  of  canvas  was  stowed  away  in  one  of  the 
boats  for  a  tent ;  and  an  axe,  and  cooking  utensils,  with 
plenty  of  provisions,  were  so  portioned  between  them  as 
to  about  equalize  their  burdens. 


412  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

At  length  all  was  prepared,  and  Mr.  Ready's  hearty, 
"  All  aboard ! "  rang  out  clear  and  strong,  as  it  always 
did  when  things  went  to  please  him. 

All  hands  had  a  good  hot  dinner,  as  it  was  nearly  noon, 
just  before  the  final  start,  and  then  hurried  down  to  the 
boats,  and  embarked  amid  the  cheers  of  the  rest  of  the 
party  who  remained  on  land,  —  both  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr. 
Bemis  being  among  the  number  of  the  latter. 

As  there  was  very  little  wind  stirring,  the  men  were 
obliged  to  use  the  oars,  until  they  reached  the  outer 
waters  near  the  mouth  of  the  bay. 

Mr.  Ready  bustled  about,  trying  to  get  some  one  — 
any  one  —  to  hold  the  tiller  for  him  while  he  hoisted  the 
sail,  as  he  felt  a  slight  puff  of  wind  coming. 

"  How  can  I  do  anything  here,  and  you  boys  keeping 
up  such  a  noise  ?  "  grumbled  that  gentleman,  beginning 
to  scold  as  he  became  more  and  more  at  home  in  his 
position  as  commander  of  the  expedition. 

"  If  he's  like  this  now,  what  will  he  be  before  the  end 
of  the  voyage  ?  "  whispered  Freddie.  "  I  guess  we'd  bet- 
ter mind  him." 

The  boys  then  stopped  their  shouting,  and  went  so 
manfully  at  work  to  hoist  the  sail,  while  Freddie  grasped 
hold  of  the  tiller  and  put  the  boat  into  the  wind,  that 
Mr.  Ready,  who  was  just  about  raising  his  voice  to  utter 
another  and  fiercer  scold,  stopped,  stood  still,  and  looked 
about  him  in  utter  amazement. 

Meanwhile  a  faint  breath  of  wind  shook  the  sails  of 
the  boat,  and,  being  nearer  in  shore  than  the  other  boat, 
she  profited  by  the  breeze,  while  the  men  in  the  other 
were  rowing  to  gain  a  position  where  they  could  hoist 
their  sails  also. 

This  was  soon  reached,  and,  a  moment  later,  both  boats 


A    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."  413 

were  gliding  slowly  yet  perceptibly  along,  close  by  the 
bank,  toward  the  stronger  breeze  which  could  now  be 
seen  ruffling  the  water  farther  out  at  the  mouth  of  the 
bay.  The  waving  hats,  and  Eva's  parting  "  Good  luck, 
Freddie,"  were  received  as  the  boats  rounded  the  point 
and  started  "  down  along." 

When  once  fairly  out  of  the  bay  the  breeze  was  fair 
and  fresh,  and  both  boats  were  wafted  along  upon  its 
.wings  like  immense  sea  gulls. 

Before  they  had  gone  very  far,  Allie  chanced  to  look 
up,  and  there  stood  Eva,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  party, 
vigorously  waving  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs  on  the 
cliffs  above. 

"  See !  there  they  all  are  !  "  cried  Allie,  pointing  to  the 
top  of  the  cliff ;  and  standing  up  in  the  boat  he  swung 
his  hat  over  his  head  and  shouted  "  Good  bye  ! "  at  the 
top  of  his  voice. 

"  Sit  down ! "  exclaimed  Freddie ;  "  they  can't  hear 
you." 

"  I  don't  know  that,"  returned  Allie ;  "  the  voice  goes 
twice  as  far  on  the  water  as  it  does  on  land.  Well,  we're 
off  now,  anyway." 

The  boats  now  rounded  a  point  of  the  rocks  that  shut 
them  off  from  the  sight  of  those  on  the  lookout,  high 
as  it  was. 

"  Yes,  we're  off  now.  Come,  get  out  of  the  middle  of 
the  boat,  can't  you  ! "  vociferated  Mr.  Ready  to  Fred,  who 
happened  to  be  taking  up  considerable  room  just  then  with 
his  feet,  in  the  exact  line  of  the  former's  movements. 

Freddie  moved,  and  in  so  doing  jostled  Allie,  who 
again  jostled  Mr.  Eeady. 

"Dear  me,"  said  the  latter;  "how  can  you  boys  be 
both  sides  of  the  boat  at  once  ?  " 


414  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

The  boys  set  up  a  shout  of  laughter,  that  brought  even 
Mr.  Ready  to  his  senses. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  he,  laughing  with  the  rest.  "  one 
hardly  gets  time  to  think,  before  —  " 

Mr.  Eeady  did  not  complete  his  sentence,  for  a  flaw  of 
wind  struck  the  sail  and  careened  the  little  boat  to  the 
very  water's  edge.  Before  he  had  time  to  move  she  had 
returned  to  her  former  upright  position,  safe  and  sound, 
with  nothing  missing  save  a  hat,  which  was  soon  recov- 
ered dripping  wet  on  the  end  of  one  of  the  oars. 

"Well,  that  was  a  narrow  escape,"  said  Mr.  Eeady. 
"  Who  saw  that  flaw  a-coming  ?  I  didn't,  for  one,  and  I 
guess  I'd  better  be  tending  to  my  business  if  it's  liable 
to  be  interrupted  like  that  again,"  and  he  took  the  helm, 
which,  up  to  that  time,  Allie  had  been  holding. 

The  wind  having  freshened  somewhat,  the  boat  was 
now  headed  directly  across  the  mouth  of  a  bay,  with  a 
good  breeze,  and  for  the  opposite  point.  The  bay  seemed 
to  be  pretty  large,  but  there  was  no  time  to  enter  and 
examine  it,  so  they  continued ;  rounding  the  farther 
point  they  proceeded  down  the  coast,  keeping  in  shore 
near  enough  to  land  at  any  time,  should  occasion  require. 
Mr.  Cooper  followed  closely  in  the  other  boat,  and  thus, 
with  fair  wind,  the  party  proceeded  on  their  way. 

The  wind  continued  steady  all  the  afternoon,  and  the 
boats  had  covered  some  twenty  miles,  by  Mr.  Cooper's 
rough  reckoning  made  by  allowing  a  line,  with  a  stick  of 
wood  on  the  end  of  it,  to  run  out  a  given  number  of  feet, 
and  counting  the  seconds  by  the  watch,  then  computing 
the  time  run,  before  darkness  began  to  set  in ;  even  then 
the  few  clouds  in  the  sky  seemed  to  have  more  effect  in 
darkening  the  surrounding  atmosphere  than  the  twilight 
itself,  which  is  so  noted  for  its  length  in  this  region. 


A    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."  415 

At  any  rate  it  began  to  grow  dark,  so,  finding  a  con- 
venient cove,  the  boats  were  headed  for  shore,  where 
they  soon  touched  ground  in  a  sheltered  cove  of  calm 
water.  A  moment  later,  all  had  jumped  on  shore  and 
drawn  them  high  and  dry  upon  a  little  plat  of  grass 
close  by. 

"  I  guess  we  might  as  well  stay  here  to-night,  hadn't 
we,  Mr.  Cooper?"  asked  Mr.  Eeady.  "It  seems  to  be 
a  good  place,  and  well  sheltered  up  by  those  spruces 
yonder." 

"You're  the  captain,  Mr.  Eeady,"  said  Mr.  Cooper 
rather  glumly,  yet  good-naturedly  withal.  "We  do  as 
you  say." 

"  I  imagine  you'll  all  be  glad  enough  to  stay  here  for 
to-night,  then,"  laughed  Mr.  Ready,  "  so  pitch  tent,  get 
supper,  and  prepare  for  the  night,  are  my  orders  ;  unless 
you  think  of  anything  any  better." 

The  long  sail  had  made  all  glad  to  get  on  land  once 
more,  and  the  men  set  about  their  work  with  a  will.  In 
the  course  of  half  an  hour  a  booth  of  spruce  branches 
had  been  erected,  open  at  the  front,  and  with  a  sloping 
roof,  over  which  was  thrown  the  piece  of  canvas  that 
had  been  brought  with  them  as  a  partial  protection 
against  the  rain,  in  case  it  should  fall  during  the  night, 
and  then  tied  tightly  to  the  side-bars  of  the  hut-like 
structure. 

While  this  was  being  done,  the  boys  had  built  a  mag- 
nificent camp-fire,  just  in  front  of  the  enclosure  ;  and  the 
red-forked  flames  looked  romantic  and  grand  against  the 
dark  sky  and  background  of  spruces  and  distant  hills. 
While  the  coffee  kettle  was  being  hung  upon  a  cross-bar 
suspended  upon  a  pair  of  forked  sticks  driven  into  the 
ground  upon  either  side  of  the  fire,  the  men  put  the  fin- 


416  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

| 

ishing  touches  upon  the  hut,  by  carpeting  it  nearly  a 
foot  deep  with  short,  mossy  boughs  of  spruce,  laying 
them  thicker  at  the  head  or  inner  part  of  the  floor.  By 
the  time  this  was  done  supper  was  announced. 

It  consisted  of  coffee,  ship  biscuit  or  hardtack,  a  pair 
of  cold  roast  ducks,  and  the  extra  luxury  of  a  small  jug 
of  spruce  beer. 

After  supper  the  men  began  talking  to  themselves 
and  laughing,  and  soon  arose  and  disappeared  with  the 
axe  into  the  thicket  back  of  the  hut.  A  few  moments 
later  a  great  chopping  was  heard,  which  soon  trans- 
ferred itself  to  the  other  side  of  the  hut,  but  farther 
back  in  the  woods,  and  then  the  men  returned  as  mys- 
teriously as  they  had  come,  and  sat  down  by  the  fire 
and  began  smoking,  and  talking  in  French  among  them- 
selves. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"Wait  until  morning,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "and  if 
we  have  any  kind  of  luck  we  will  let  you  see,  then." 

"  Dear  me,"  said  Allie,  "  how  mysterious." 

The  men,  for  reasons  best  known  to  themselves,  kept 
silent ;  and  so  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait. 

Early  the  next  morning,  while  the  boys  were  yet 
asleep,  one  of  the  men  awoke,  jumped  up,  rubbed  his 
eyes,  and  then  began  looking  for  the  axe.  Having 
found  it,  he  threw  it  over  his  shoulder  and  started  for 
the  woods.  Pretty  soon,  by  which  time  the  boys  and 
most  of  the  rest  of  the  party  were  awake,  he  was  seen 
returning  with  a  curious  looking,  black-haired  animal 
thrown  over  his  shoulder.  This  he  brought  up  to  the 
tent,  and  flung  down  on  the  ground  just  in  front  of  the 
place  where  the  boys  were  collecting  some  pieces  of  wood 
and  chippings  with  which  to  make  a  fire. 


A    TRIP  "  DOWN  ALONG."  417 

"  There/'  said  the  man ;  "  that's  what  we  got  from  all 
our  chopping,  last  night." 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Allie,  who  was  the  nearest. 

"What  is  it?"  laughed  the  man.  "That's  what  we 
call  a  carcajou.  I  didn't  think  we  could  get  him  ;  they're 
awfully  sly  animals." 

"  How  did  you  do  it  ?  "  asked  Allie. 

"  Why,  you  see,"  returned  the  man,  "  we  cut  down  a 
couple  of  trees  and  made  deadfalls  of  them ;  then  baited 
them,  and  left  them ;  and  this  morning  we  found  this 
fellow,  in  one  of  them,  with  his  back  broken  and  a  big 
tree  on  top  of  him." 

As  the  man  said  this  the  other  man,  who  had  accom- 
panied him  the  night  before,  came  up  and  giving  the 
carcass  a  kick  said :  — 

"  Well,  Barney,  my  boy,  your  plan  did  work  beautifully, 
no  mistake.  I  didn't  think  'twould  succeed,  that's  a  fact." 

"Nor  I,"  replied  the  other,  who  was  none  else  than 
Barney,  one  of  the  men. 

"What  will  you  do  with  mm  now  you  have  caught 
him  ?  " 

"  One  less  of  the  ugly  thaves  in  this  wurld,"  replied 
Barney,  laughing ;  "  his  skin  will  make  a  good  foot-rest 
for  Miss  Eva  —  " 

"Hoity-toity!"  laughed  Stebbins;  "but,  faith,  I  fully 
agree  with  you.  Shall  I  strip  him  for. you? " 

"  Sure,"  said  Barney,  with  a  broad  smile,  "  if  yer  plaze 
to  do  yer  part,  now  I've  done  mine,  'twill  be  no  more 
than  fair;  I'll  take  it  easy  and  look  on  and  direct, 
sorter." 

Just  then  Mr.  Ready  appeared,  rubbing  his  eyes  very 
hard  and  yawning. 

"  What  ye  got  there  ?  "  remarked  Mr.  Ready,  suddenly 


418  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

forgetting  that  he  was  sleepy  and  appearing  very  much 
interested.  "  Now  that  accounts  for  all  the  chopping  I 
heard  last  night.  I  thought  something  was  in  the 
wind." 

After  everybody  had  examined  the  prize,  which  was  a 
long  thick-bodied,  short  stout-legged  animal,  with  long 
black  fur,  Stebbins  took  it  up  by  the  legs,  smoothed 
down  the  fur  carefully,  and  cutting  a  long  slit  in  the 
skin,  between  the  hind-legs,  reaching  from  the  extremity 
of  one  foot  to  that  of  the  other,  he  ripped  it  off  in  a 
twinkling. 

"  As  nate  as  a  glove  ! "  cried  the  Irishman,  admiringly. 
"  I  couldn't  have  done  it  any  better  mesilf,  if  I'd  known 
how,"  he  added,  with  true  Irish  wit. 

Stebbins  then  got  up  and  began  walking  up  and  down 
the  shore  for  some  distance  in  each  direction,  as  if  in 
search  of  something.  Presently  he  came  back  with  a 
short  piece  of  weather  beaten  board,  which  had  been 
cast  high  and  dry  upon  the  beach ;  this  he  proceeded  to 
shape  with  the  hatchet. 

"There,"  said  he,  when  he  had  finished  his  work, 
"there's  a  good  stretcher  for  you." 

Then  he  pulled  the  skin  of  the  carcajou  over  the  board, 
and  found  that  it  fitted  nicely. 

"Now  we  can  let  it  dry  and  scrape  the  fat  off  at  our 
leisure,"  said  Mr.  Stebbins. 

The  board  with  the  skin  on  it  was  laid  in  the  sun, 
and  all  hands  began  to  prepare  for  breakfast  which  was 
soon  quickly  devoured,  when  the  whole  party  loaded  the 
boats  and  again  set  sail  for  "  down  along." 

It  was  a  clear,  bright  day.  The  sun  was  shining  from 
a  sky  barely  flecked  with  a  few,  fleecy  white  clouds,  and 
the  waters  sparkled  with  dashes  and  flashes  from  a  mil- 


A    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."  419 

lion  little  waves  that  merrily  rippled  over  its  surface  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  White-winged  gulls  filled 
the  air  above;  myriads  of  tern  lower  down  flew  along 
swiftly  on  swallow-like  wing,  or  shot,  like  arrows  from 
concealed  bows,  down  into  the  waters  in  search  of 
their  prey.  An  occasional  long  black  line,  low  down 
near  the  horizon,  told  that  a  flock  of  ducks  was  passing, 
and  in  the  water,  near  by,  an  occasional  pigeon  or  black 
guillemot  rose  inquiringly  near  the  boat  for  an  instant 
to  dive  as  quickly  at  the  least  motion  of  its  occupants. 
The  air  was  fine,  it  was  exhilarating  and  fairly  intoxi- 
cating. Even  Mr.  Ready  relaxed. 

"  This  Labrador  air,"  remarked  that  gentleman,  "  is 
the  finest  air  in  the  world.  If  any  one  comes  up  here 
for  the  air,  they  will  never  be  disappointed,  unless  the 
fog  stays  all  the  time,  which  is  not  usual.  It  is  a  good 
illustration  of  the  compensation  theory,  —  a  bleak,  bar- 
ren coast  must  have  some  attraction  to  it,  after  all." 

"  /  think  it  has  a  good  many,"  said  Allie.  "  I'm  sure 
we  shall  have  something  besides  the  air  to  remember." 

"  You  certainly  will,  if  we  don't  come  across  a  schooner 
before  winter  sets  in,"  laughed  Mr.  Ready.  "I  win- 
tered here  once,  and  I  am  not  anxious  to  try  it  again." 

"  Was  it  so  very  fearful  ?  "  asked  Freddie. 

"Snowed  up  six  months  to  a  day,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 
"  How  would  that  suit  you  ?  " 

"  Bur-r-r  ! "  murmured  Freddie,  as  he  hunched  his 
shoulders  and  shivered,  as  if  he  were  really  cold.  "  I'd 
rather  be  at  home  reading  about  it;  'twould  be  much 
more  pleasant." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you  there, — but  what  is  this 
great  black  object  just  coming  down  on  us  on  the  right  ?  " 

As  he  spoke  Mr.  Ready  sheared  the   boat  to  come 


420  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

nearer  the  great  black  object  mentioned ;  and  as  it 
floated  by  all  saw  that  it  was  an  old  weather-worn  hogs- 
head, or  puncheon  as  the  sailors  call  it. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Cooper,"  cried  Mr.  Ready,  as  the  other 
boat  came  up  with  his,  which  was  lying  in  waiting  for 
it,  "  that  looks  like  business  ! " 

"  It  does,  in  fact,"  remarked  the  other ;  "  you  may  be 
all  right,  after  all ;  we'll  go  ahead  and  see,  anyway." 

In  spite  of  the  apparent  evidence  derived  from  the 
puncheon,  the  boats  pursued  their  way  all  that  day, 
until  night,  without  coming  upon  any  real  evidence  of 
habitation,  or  sighting  any  vessels ;  and  when  evening 
came  on,  and  a  landing  for  the  night  made,  the  reckoning 
gave  twenty-three  miles  for  the  day's  run,  or  forty-three 
in  all,  since  the  start,  and  no  signs  as  yet  of  attaining 
the  object  of  their  journey. 

The  men  were  all  rather  "  glum  "  when  they  turned  to 
and  erected  a  hut,  similar  to  the  one  they  had  built  the 
night  before,  for  their  shelter.  To  add  to  the  prevailing 
gloominess  it  began  to  cloud  over,  and  soon  great  drops 
of  rain  came  pattering  down  upon  the  canvas  roofing  of 
their  tent.  The  cloth  was  drawn  over  the  front  entrance 
as  far  as  possible,  to  protect  the  open  side  from  the  rain, 
and  a  cold  supper  of  hard  biscuits,  canned  corned-beef, 
and  spruce  beer,  eaten  in  silence,  —  unbroken  save  by  an 
occasional  grumble  about  hard  luck  and  the  weather,  and 
the  sound  of  the  rain-drops  outside  and  upon  their  can- 
vas cover  above  them.  Nearly  every  one  of  the  party 
lay  in  silence,  yet  wide  awake,  far  into  the  night,  listen- 
ing to  the  pattering  drops  as  they  increased,  then  de- 
creased, then  finally  stopped  altogether,  —  until  one  by 
one  they  fell  to  sleep.  It  must  have  been  nearly  or 
quite  midnight  when  Freddie,  the  last  awake,  peered  out 


A    TRIP  "DOWN  ALONG."  421 

of  the  dripping  canvas  and  beheld  the  clouds  dispersed, 
and  the  twinkling  stars  shining  down  at  him  foretelling 
a  pleasant  day  on  the  morrow ;  then  he,  too,  sought  his 
place  among  the  sleepers,  rolled  up  in  his  blanket,  packed 
a  heap  of  dry  spruce  under  his  head,  and  with  his  head 
upon  his  soft  cap  was  soon  sound  asleep  like  the  rest  of 
the  party. 

The  next  morning  all  hands  were  awake  betimes.  It 
was  another  beautiful  day,  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky  above ; 
but  a  long,  dense,  low,  white  line  hung  over  the  water, 
far  out  to  sea.  It  was  a  Labrador  or  rather  a  Newfound- 
land fog,  which  a  light  off-shore  wind  was  keeping  at  a 
distance. 

"If  this  wind  dies  down,  or  changes,"  remarked  Mr. 
Cooper,  "  we're  caught,  sure.  Hadn't  we  better  stay 
where  we  are  till  afternoon,  at  least  ?  " 

"Not  a  bit  of  it!"  replied  Mr.  Eeady.  "All  aboard! 
and  we'll  go  as  far  as  we  can,  keeping  along  shore,  at 
any  rate." 

"Just  as  you  say,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper,  in  a  rather 
grumbling  tone  of  voice,  "  but  I'd  rather  be  in  than  out." 

"  We  can  easily  patch  up  as  good  a  shanty  as  this  is," 
said  Mr.  Eeady,  somewhat  crossly.  "I  never  got  lost 
in  a  fog  yet !  " 

"Excepting  the  one  that  wrecked  the  good  old  Sea 
Foam"  laughed  Allie. 

Mr.  Ready  saw  that  he  was  caught,  and  that  his  pilot- 
ing ability  was  in  imminent  peril,  but  yet  he  persisted ; 
and  soon  all  were  aboard  and  skipping  merrily  along, 
close  in  shore,  down  the  rugged  coast  of  Labrador. 


422  WRECKED    O.V  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

BEATING  ABOUT  THE  BUSH. 

OK  went  Mr.  Ready's  boat,  followed  by  that  of  Mr. 
Cooper's,  farther  and  farther  from  the  morning's 
camp.  As  they  progressed,  the  water  in  shore  became 
shoaler,  and  full  of  rocks  and  sand-bars  and  impedi- 
ments of  one  sort  and  another  until,  finally,  it  was  re- 
solved to  steer  more  to  the  eastward,  and  hence  out  into 
the  open  waters,  to  get  clear  of  them. 

It  was  still  early  in  the  forenoon,  and  the  sun  shining 
through  a  slight  mist  that  covered  everything  about  and 
around  them  ;  yet  all  was  bright  and  pleasant. 

"I  don't  quite  like  the  looks  of  things,"  said  Mr. 
Cooper,  rather  as  a  word  of  caution  than  with  a  murmur 
of  complaint.  "It  does  seem  to  me  that  the  farther 
from  land  we  go  the  more  unwise  it  is  of  us.  I  do  han- 
ker arter  the  shore  this  morning,  somehow  or  other." 

"  Humph  ! "  grunted  Mr.  Ready.  "  Ther  an't  no  dan- 
ger ;  and  besides,  we  could  not  get  ther  now  ef  we  wanted 
to,  —  ther  an't  water  enough." 

"I  suppose  'tis  too  shallow.  I  thought  I  had  more 
sense,"  spoke  up  Mr.  Cooper,  in  a  sharp,  disdainful  sort 
of  a  tone,  "  than  to  be  caught  out  here,  where  we  don't 
know  nothing  about  where  we  are,  in  a  stiff  Newfound- 
land fog ;  but  I  see  I  an't." 

Mr.  Ready's  only  reply  was  to  jibe  his  boat,  just  in 
time  to  prevent  her  smashing  her  small  stay  against  an 
ugly  looking  rock  right  ahead,  and  turn  toward  the 


BEATING  ABOUT   THE  BUSH.  423 

shore  once  more ;  but  this  was  only  to  get  out  of  a  shal- 
low spot  into  deeper  water,  when  he  headed  her  toward 
the  sea  again. 

"  There,"  said  Mr.  Ready,  "  we'll  go  far  enough  in  this 
direction  to  clear  the  rocks,  and  then  "  —  he  added,  in  a 
lower  voice,  as  he  saw  that  the  mist,  though  thin,  was 
really  not  decreasing  any,  "perhaps  we'd  better  see  if 
we  can  get  in  shore  a  bit  nearer." 

"  I  thought  you'd  come  to  your  senses,  at  last,"  said 
Mr.  Cooper,  in  an  equally  undertone,  who,  it  seems, 
heard  Mr.  Ready's  remark,  low  as  it  was. 

Five  minutes  later  the  boats  were  past  the  rocks,  and 
once  more  headed  toward  the  shore ;  but  this  time  they 
had  gone  too  far  to  seaward,  and  the  sun  had  disap- 
peared behind  a  thin  bank  of  white  mist  that  was  now 
seen  to  be  hurrying  down  upon  them  as  fast  as  a  light 
breeze  from  the  east  could  drive  it,  before  they  had 
accomplished  one-third  of  the  distance  to  the  shore. 

"There,"  cried  Mr.  Cooper,  in  despondent  rather  than 
triumphant  terms,  "  I  knew  it  would  come." 

Come  it  did,  and  no  mistake.  Five  minutes  more  and 
both  boats  were  struggling  along,  feeling  their  way 
toward  the  shore,  in  a  dense  fog. 

"  Get  out  the  compass-box ! "  cried  Mr.  Eeady,  excit- 
edly, as  the  full  extent  of  the  situation  appeared  to 
dawn  upon  him. 

"  I  can't  find  it ! "  returned  Allie,  up  to  his  elbows  in 
the  locker. 

"  Well !  it's  there,  or  it  ought  to  be ; "  then  turning  to 
Mr.  Cooper,  he  cried  out :  "  Is  the  compass  in  your 
boat?" 

After  a  short  search,  Mr.  Cooper  replied : 

"  X o !  I  can't  find  it  anywhere." 


424  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

"Then  we'll  have  to  steer  by  the  wind,"  said  Mr. 
Ready,  forgetting  that  he  had  sounded  the  rocks,  and 
then  jibed  the  boat  in  the  very  opposite  direction  from 
where  the  shore  lay,  and  again  at  direct  right  angles  to 
that. 

"  The  boats  had  better  keep  as  near  together  as  they 
can,"  suggested  Freddie.  "Let's  not  get  any  farther 
away  from  each  other  than  we  have  to." 

"  Here's  the  fog  horn,"  said  John,  "  anyway ! " 

"  Good !  keep  hold  of  that,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

Both  boats  then  continued  to  feel  their  way  along, 
keeping  well  together,  while  the  fog,  rather  increasing 
than  diminishing,  remained  as  a  light  cloud  above  and 
around  them. 

As  it  was  now  getting  towards  noon,  the  men  in  the 
boats  decided  to  dine ;  so  a  bundle  of  light  sticks  were 
drawn  from  each  of  the  cuddies,  and  soon  the  coffee- 
kettles  were  suspended  from  the  hooks  on  the  main- 
masts, and  the  water  simmering  over  an  iron  platter  full 
of  coals  placed  over  the  rocks  of  the  ballast,  in  regular 
Newfoundland  style. 

While  the  coffee  was  being  made,  a  can  of  pressed 
corned-beef  was  opened,  a  small  bag  of  hard  bread 
emptied  of  its  contents,  and  the  tin  cups  produced. 

"  Isn't  that  coffee  boiling  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Ready,  who  was 
at  the  helm,  of  John,  who  officiated  at  the  coffee-pot. 

"  Oh,  yes  ! "  replied  John,  "  it's  boiling  splendidly." 

«  Confound  the  luck !     Can't  yer  take  it  off  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  ! "  said  John,  gleefully ;  "  how  long  do  you 
want  it  to  boil  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all !     Take  it  off,  can't  yer  ?  " 

John  lifted  the  kettle  off  the  hook,  and  set  it  down  in 
the  middle  of  the  boat. 


BEATING  ABOUT   THE  BUSH.  425 

"  Now  put  the  fire  out  on  the  sticks,  by  dipping  them 
into  the  water;  save  the  best  ones  to  burn  again,  and 
throw  the  rest  overboard." 

John  did  as  he  had  been  directed,  and  tossed  the 
half-burned  pieces  back  into  the  cuddy  again,  while  he 
dumped  the  coals  on  the  iron  into  the  water,  where  they 
hissed  and  snapped  at  a  great  rate  until  far  out  of  sight 
in  their  wake. 

"  There,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  "  that's  tolerable  good 
coffee.  'Twould  have  been  better  if  it  hadn't  boiled  at 
all,  though.  Coffee,  to  be  good,  wants  to  be  put  in  cold 
water  and  brought  to  the  boiling  point,  then  stopped 
right  there,"  continued  he.  As  no  one  disputed  him, 
he  added,  rather  emphatically,  "  I'll  show  ye  how,  some- 
time." 

All  the  while  the  dinner  was  progressing  •  the  boats 
were  progressing  also ;  and  not  only  the  dinner  and  the 
boat,  but  the  fog,  that  too  was  progressing. 

"  Seems  as  though  we'd  gone  far  enough  to  have  struck 
land,"  growled  Mr.  Cooper  from  the  other  boat,  which 
was  keeping  close  to  Mr.  Ready's. 

"This  trotting  'round  without  no  compass,"  retorted 
Mr.  Ready,  "ain't  much  fun,  anyway.  Let's  sheer  off 
to  the  right  a  little  more." 

The  boats  were  then  jibed  again,  much  to  the  surprise 
of  the  sailors,  and  especially  of  Barney  the  Irishman, 
who  shouted  out : 

"Shure,  then,  wud  ye  be  going  to  cross  the  gulf 
intirely  ?  " 

"' Cross  the  gulf!'"  put  in  Mr.  Cooper.  "Well,  I 
should  hope  not ;  we  mean  to  reach  land  just  as  soon  as 
we  can,  and  get  away  from  this  fog  or  let  it  get  away 
from  us." 


426  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Then,  if  I  may  be  so  bold,  why  don't  ye  head  her 
right  around  in  exactly  the  opposite  direction?  for, 
'cording  to  niy  calculation,  we've  jibed  twice  since  we 
left  the  pint.  Now  if  we  jibe  twice  back  again  we'll  be 
headed  right  in  shore,  and  like  enough  bring  up  on  the 
same  pint  again." 

"  Seems  as  though  the  man  was  right,  Ready.  What 
say  you  ?  " 

"We  can  try  it,"  replied  Mr.  Ready,  now  thoroughly 
humbled. 

So  the  boats  were  put  about  again  and,  in  half  an  hour, 
both  had  come  to  a  standstill  within  a  dozen  rods  of  the 
rough,  rocky  shore ;  ten  minutes  later,  everything  was 
securely  protected,  and  all  on  land  once  more. 

"  Thank  the  Lord  for  so  much ! "  said  Mr.  Ready,  fer- 
vently. 

"That's  all  right,"  laughed  Freddie,  "but  /think  you'd 
better  thank  Barney  too,  for  without  his  speaking  you 
might  have  been  in  the  middle  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence before  night." 

As  this  was  only  too  evident,  poor  Barney  was  quite 
overpowered  with  the  hand-shakings  and  other  congratu- 
lations which  showered  down  upon  him. 

"I'm  sorry  I  broke  me  orders,"  said  Barney,  "but  I 
guess  the  fog  turned  all  our  heads." 

Everybody  laughed  at  the  bull,  but  no  one  seemed  to 
care,  as  all  were  soon  busy  erecting  a  booth  for  the  third 
time  since  the  trip  had  begun. 

"Fifty  miles,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ready,  "and  no  signs  of 
life  yet.  Either  we're  on  a  stretch  where  there  are  no 
houses,  or  we  have  passed  them  all.  We've  seen  vessels 
from  the  top  of  our  hill,  anyway,"  he  added. 

It  was  indeed  a  little  strange,  that  they  should  have 


BEATING  ABOUT   THE   BUSH.  427 

sailed  fifty  miles  and  come  across  no  houses,  boats,  or 
vessels  of  any  kind. 

"I  believe  we've  passed  by  twenty  coves,  only  we 
didn't  see  the  entrances,"  laughed  Mr.  Cooper.  "No  one 
would  have  known  where  our  house  was,  to  pass  by  the 
place ;  but  I  don't  see  as  there's  anything  to  do  but  to 
stay  here  till  the  fog  clears  away,  anyhow." 

As  all  agreed  upon  this,  the  work  of  completing  the 
booth  was  put  forward  with  all  haste. 

It  took  the  men  some  little  time  to  find  the  proper 
means  for  completing  their  work,  and  so  the  work  itself 
was  greatly  retarded. 

The  place  where  they  had  landed  was  the  only  grassy 
or  level  spot  that  their  eyes  could  find,  over  quite  an 
area  of  rocks  and  high  cliffs  of  brown  rock,  which  ap- 
peared everywhere  and  continued  even  to  the  very  water's 
edge,  where  they  disappeared  at  such  an  angle  as  to  leave 
no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  all  that  if  they  appeared  again 
at  all  upon  the  surface  it  could  not  be  far  to  seaward. 

"I  imagine  that  there  is  an  island  from  three  to  five 
miles  from  here,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

"Well,  what  of  that?  "  laughed  Allie,  as  in  fact  did  all 
the  boys,  at  almost  the  same  time. 

"Well,  now,  let's  see.  Let's  do  a  little  philosophiz- 
ing," said  Mr.  Ready,  winking  very  hard.  "If  there  is 
one  island,  as  from  the  the  nature  of  this  rock  there 
would  seem  to  be,  the  probability  is  that  as  long  as  the 
rock  continues,  both  up  and  down  the  coast  here,  there 
is  more  than  one  island.  If  a  good  many,  as  would  seem 
to  be  the  case,  we  are  inside  the  group  and  so  probably 
on  the  mainland.  If  now  we  are  on  the  mainland  and 
inside  the  group,  we  probably  have  been  too  far  out  to  sea 
when  we  thought  we  were  following  the  coast  line,  and 


428  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

only  been  following  the  outside  of  the  islands,  etc. ;  so 
we  have  passed  all  the  ports,  all  the  houses,  if  there  were 
any  ;  and  all  the  chances  of  getting  anywhere  have  been 
lost.  /  think  that  when  the  sun  gives  us  a  chance,  we 
better  turn  around  and  go  back  again,  but  this  time 
inside." 

As  everybody  seemed  to  agree  with  Mr.  Eeady,  all 
hands  turned  to  with  alacrity  and  began  to  aid  the  men 
in  their  search  for  the  proper  materials  for  erecting  the 
hut. 

In  one  deep  ravine  on  a  hillside  on  the  left,  a  few 
scraggy  trees  were  at  last  discovered,  and  soon  the  neces- 
sary stakes  and  branches  were  cut  and  brought  to  the 
place  where  the  hut  was  to  be  erected. 

"We  were  awful  lucky  to  find  this  place,"  said  Mr. 
Ready.  "  I  don't  see  how  we  happened  to  hit  it." 

"  More  luck  than  anything  else,"  laughed  Mr.  Cooper, 
"  as  everything  else  has  been  since  we  came  to  this  in- 
fernal region.  I'll  warrant  that  there  are  twenty  such 
places  within  a  mile  of  us  in  either  direction." 

"  Maybe !  maybe !  "  replied  Mr.  Eeady,  "  but  I'm  aw- 
fully thankful  for  the  good  luck." 

"  Oh  yes,  so  am  I,"  returned  the  mate ;  "  but  I'd  be 
more  thankful  to  get  home  again  —  to  the  States,  I 
mean.  You'd  never  catch  me  in  these  parts  again." 

"So  I've  said  three  time  before  this,"  laughed  Mr. 
Eeady,  "and  that's  all  the  good  it  did.  Why  don't 
somebody  hurry  up  and  build  that  fire  ?  "  he  added  turn- 
ing around. 

"  I  can't  find  a  dry  match  anywhere,"  retorted  Freddie, 
greatly  vexed  at  his  own  ill  success,  after  scratching  away 
in  vain  at  several,  which  he  had  carefully  stowed  away 
in  his  pocket  before  starting. 


BEATING  ABOUT   THE  BUSH. 

"Here!  that  isn't  the  way!"  said  Mr.  Ready.  "Al- 
ways rub  'em  on  the  seat  of  your  breeches.  If  they 
won't  go  that  way  they  won't  go  at  all,  and  you  can  light 
'em  this  way  when  you  can't  any  other,"  and  suiting  the 
action  to  the  word  Mr.  Ready  struck  a  match  from  his 
own  pocket  several  vigorous  blows  before  proving  his 
theory. 

"There,"  said  he,  as  one  blazed  and  soon  caught  the 
birch  bark  at  the  bottom  of  a  huge  pile  of  drift  and  other 
wood,  "  there  you  have  it." 

A  few  minutes  later,  and  the  flames  crackled  and  shot 
up  their  tongues  high  into  the  air  as  the  fire  warmed 
with  its  genial  heat  everybody  near  it. 

"  At  last  we  can  get  some  hot  coffee,"  said  Mr.  Ready. 

Then  the  things  were  quickly  transferred  from  the 
cuddy  to  the  teat  or  spruce  booth,  and  in  a  short  time  a 
good  supper  prepared,  it  now  being  almost  dark.  The 
coffee  was  made  and  not  boiled ;  several  ducks,  which 
had  been  recently  shot,  prepared  for  broiling,  and  soon 
hissing  and  spitting  as  their  skins  browned  and  burst 
before  the  fire ;  some  Indian  meal  corn-cake  soon  grow- 
ing light  and  puffy ;  while  a  kettle  of  potatoes  took  the 
place  of  the  coffee  kettle,  which  was  moved  one  side  to 
make  room  for  it,  though  still  kept  near  the  heat. 

In  half  an  hour  the  supper  was  all  ready,  and  a  grand 
success  it  was.  A  small  tin  pail  had  been  discovered  (in 
the  back  part  of  the  cuddy,  in  which  had  been  packed 
a  store  of  sugar,  salt,  and  butter ;  and  these,  with  the 
other  things,  were  all  now  spread  out  in  array,  and 
supper  began. 

"I  don't  see,  for  my  part,"  cried  Allie,  "but  that  we 
get  just  as  good  things  in  Labrador  as  we  do  in  the 
United  States." 


430  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Yes,  and  cooked  a  great  deal  better,"  put  in  Freddie. 

"  I  guess  you  are  hungry  here,  that's  all,"  laughed  Mr. 
Ready. 

It  was  hard  to  get  a  good  dry  bed  that  night.  There 
was  no  rain,  but  the  fog,  now  driving  in  thick  and  heavy, 
apparently  meaning  to  stay  all  night,  was  damp  and 
sticky  and  had  rendered  everything  the  same.  By  dint 
of  selecting  the  lower  and  less  exposed  branches,  how- 
ever, and  giving  them  a  good  heating  at  the  fire,  they 
were  enabled  to  cover  the  floor  of  the  hut  so  that,  with 
their  blankets,  they  had  a  dry  bed  to  sleep  on. 

The  fire  was  piled  high  up  with  wood  ;  and  as  it  grew 
darker  the  men  told  stories  and  the  boys  listened  until 
late  into  the  night. 

There  were  legends  about  Indians  and  white  men ; 
anecdotes  of  hunters  and  hunting  parties  J  tales  of  game, 
of  wonderful  shots,  and  marvellous  adventures  ;  and  fish- 
ing stories  without  number.  All  these  occupied  the  time 
until  the  fire  had  burned  low,  and  the  last  of  the  wood 
had  been  heaped  upon  the  pile,  when  all  hands,  already 
drowsy  from  talking  or  listening,  rolled  up  in  their 
blankets  and  turned  over  to  settle  themselves  for  the 
night. 

"Fog,  fog,  fog,"  cried  the  voice  of  Mr.  Keady,  early 
the  next  morning,  "turn  over  and  go  to  sleep  again, 
boys ; "  and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word  Mr.  Ready 
wrapped  himself  up  in  his  great  overcoat  and  blanket, 
and  dropped  down  in  his  place  once  more. 

About  half  an  hour  afterwards  one  of  the  boys  awoke, 
and  went  so  far  as  to  collect  a  large  pile  of  wood  for  a 
fire,  but  he,  too,  soon  gave  it  up  and  turned  in  again.  It 
was  nearly  noon  before  the  party  straggled  out  into  the 
already  clearing  atmosphere  and  started  the  fire  going. 


BEATING  ABOUT    THE  BUSH.  431 

"Well,  it's  really  trying  to  clear  away  at  last,"  were 
the  words  with  which  Mr.  Ready  and  Mr.  Cooper  greeted, 
as  each  were  rubbing  their  eyes  and  "  getting  awake  "  be- 
fore a  crackling  large  fire,  which  had  been  kindled  just 
outside  the  tent. 

"  Wonder  if  'twill  ever  clear  up  ?  " 

"Tell  ye  better  later,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper,  with 
great  gravity.  "I  want  to  see  that  coffee-pot  steaming 
first.  Coffee's  a  first-rate  settler  to  any  one's  knowledge 
of  what  the  weather's  to  be." 

Mr.  Ready  laughed,  and  began  immediately  to  get 
breakfast  ready. 

All  the  time  the  fog  was  slowly  lifting.  At  length, 
with  a  grand  flash,  the  sun  came  out  of  the  bank  that 
had  concealed  it  for  so  long,  and  shone  once  more  with 
its  accustomed  brilliancy  over  land  and  sea. 

"Well,  let's  try  it  once  more,"  said  Mr.  Eeady,  after 
the  morning's  meal  was  finished ;  "  third  time  never 
fails,  a  third  time  and  out,  which  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  guess  it's  out,"  laughed  Freddie,  as  he  dashed  a  big 
pail  of  water  on  the  embers  of  the  fire. 

"  Yes,  most  likely,"  laughed  Mr.  Keady,  in  return ; 
"  and  now  we'll  get  out,  and  try  for  twenty-four  hours 
longer  in  this  direction,  and  then,  if  we  don't  find  any- 
thing, we'll  go  home  and  report ;  then  start  in  the  other 
direction." 

With  that  the  boats  were  pushed  off,  the  sails  hoisted, 
and  the  party  011  the  move  once  more. 

"Dear  me,"  exclaimed  Freddie,  after  they  had  been 
sailing  with  a  fair  breeze,  close  along  shore,  for  more 
than  an  hour,  "  it  does  seem  as  though  we  ought  to  find 
something  here  somewhere.  We  don't  see  even  a  barn." 

"  Well,  I  thought  I  knew  where  we  were,"  remarked 


432  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

Mr.  Keady,  rather  soberly,  "  but  I  give  it  up.  We've 
come  fifty  odd  miles,  or  thereabouts,  and  have  not  seen  a 
house  or  a  living  being,  and  I  can't  think  of  any  other 
place,  save  Anticosti  Island,  where  that  thing  can  be  pos- 
sible, —  and  I  know  we  cannot  be  there." 

"  I  stick  to  what  I  said  at  first,"  put  in  Mr.  Cooper.  "If 
you  had  watched  those  schooners  as  I  have,  you  would  be 
convinced  that  they  must  have  either  come  down  the 
river  close  in  shore  and  then  struck  across,  or  else  have 
started  from  a  point  not  far  to  the  westward  of  our  place, 
and  cruised  either  across  the  water  from  that  point,  or 
out  to  sea  to  clear  the  land,  and  then  tacked  and  headed 
inland ;  in  which  case  their  line  of  travel  would  bring 
them  one  or  two  days'  sail,  or  even  more,  farther  down 
than  we  now  are." 

"All  hands  ready  about,"  sung  out  Mr.  Eeady;  "I 
yield  me  prisoner.  Let's  go  home." 

A  shout  of  laughter  went  up  from  everybody  at  the  hear- 
ing of  this  decision,  and  a  moment  later  the  boats  were 
headed  in  the  opposite  direction  and  on  their  return  trip. 

"We  are  just  in  time  to  reach  last  night's  stopping 
place  before  dark,  if  the  wind  holds,"  remarked  Mr. 
Cooper. 

The  wind  seemed  very  likely  to  hold ;  at  any  rate  it 
was  blowing  and  freshening  every  minute. 

"  We'll  have  to  take  in  some  canvas,  if  this  keeps  up 
much  longer,"  laughed  Mr.  Eeady. 

It  was  so  late  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  camping- 
ground  of  the  previous  evening,  that  all  were  glad  to 
reach  a  place  of  rest ;  and  notwithstanding  that  they  had 
slept  until  so  late  that  morning,  all  were  very  tired.  The 
boys  immediately  rushed  to  the  booth  and  lay  down,  and 
were  soon  sound  asleep. 


BEATING  ABOUT   THE   BUSH.  433 

The  men  gathered  some  wood,  built  a  fire,  and  prepared 
the  supper,  and  yet  the  tired  boys  slept  on. 

"Come,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Eeady,  at  last,  in  despair  of 
their  wakening  of  their  own  accord.  "  Come  !  can't  ye 
get  up  and  have  something  to  eat  ?  "  and  he  gave  each  of 
the  boys  a  shaking,  which  quickly  brought  them  to  their 
senses. 

"  Of  course  we  will,"  cried  Freddie,  as  he  jumped  up 
and  rubbed  his  eyes. 

The  others  followed  his  example,  and  all  were  soon 
seated  by  the  genial  blaze  of  the  spruce  fire,  sipping 
their  coffee,  and  with  a  huge  piece  of  hardtack  in  their 
hands. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  Allie,  "  and  no  mistake. 
One  can  make  a  meal,  and  a  good  one,  too,  if  they  are 
only  hungry,  from  coffee  and  hardtack." 

"  If  they  don't  choke,"  laughed  Freddie,  as  Allie  swal- 
lowed some  coffee  the  wrong  way,  and  gagged  for  sev- 
eral minutes  before  he  could  recover  his  tranquility. 

"  Anybody'd  choke,"  gagged  Allie,  "  to  see  you  sitting 
there  and  burning  your  boots  off  all  so  unconsciously." 

Freddie  gave  a  yell,  as  he  hitched  away  from  the  fire, 
and  gave  his  foot  a  dig  in  the  sand  close  by  as  a  means 
of  extinguishing  the  smoke,  but  said  nothing. 

"Lucky  we'll  be  home  soon,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper; 
"  the  grub's  getting  pretty  low." 

"That's  a  fact,"  returned  Mr.  Ready,  "but  I  guess 
that,  such  as  it  is,  it'll  last  us  through.  It  will  seem 
good,  though,  to  get  one  of  Max's  pots  of  bean  soup  once 
more." 

"  Or  some  fresh  fish,"  remarked  Mr.  Cooper. 

"Or  some  doughnuts  and  cheese,"  added  the  boys, 
almost  in  a  breath. 


434  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  And  to  get  into  civilized  parts  once  more,"  remarked 
Barney. 

Just  where  Barney  meant  by  the  "  civilized  parts  "  he 
did  not  say. 

"  I  guess  you're  homesick,"  laughed  Freddie. 

"  Faith,"  said  Barney,  "  if  I  only  was  home  sick." 

It  needed  very  little  urging  to  send  all  hands  to  bed 
early  that  night. 


THE  RETURN.  435 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    RETURN,  THE   UP    TRIP,   AND    A  NEW  AND  TERRIBLY 
EXCITING   SCENE. 

IT  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  sec- 
ond day  after  leaving  their  encampment  that  the 
boats  rounded  the  point  of  land  that  brought  them  in 
sight  of  home,  or  at  least  of  the  place  that  was  all  the 
home  they  possessed  on  these  rugged  shores. 

No  one  seemed  to  be  about  anywhere,  and  even  the 
house  had  a  deserted  sort  of  a  look,  with  only  a  thin 
wreath  of  light  blue  smoke,  that  ascended  out  of  the 
chimney,  to  assure  them  that  there  were  living  beings 
about  the  place ;  the  boats  pursued  their  way  quietly  up 
to  the  wharf  and,  being  made  fast,  all  hands  jumped 
ashore  and  hurried  up  to  the  house  —  where  the  door 
had  already  been  opened,  and  Max's  genial  face  appeared 
assuring  them  of  a  cordial  reception. 

"  Well,  my  boys ! "  cried  Max,  as  the  tired  party 
hastened  up  the  slope.  "I  was  just  getting  supper  for 
you." 

"  How  did  you  know  we  were  coming  ?  "  asked  Freddie, 
mistaking  Max's  cordial  greeting  for  real  knowledge. 

"  A  little  bird  came  down  the  chimney  and  whispered 
it  to  me,"  laughed  Max,  "  so  I  began  to  get  the  supper 
ready." 

"In  your  mind,"  laughed  Freddie,  now  beginning  to 
understand. 

As  the  tired  troop  hurried  in  and  took  seats,  Mrs. 


436  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

Benton  and  Eva  appeared  from  their  rooms  to  greet 
them,  and  such  a  cordial  reception  as  it  was  !  Mrs. 
Benton's  "  Glad  to  see  you,  how  tired  out  you  all  must 
be,  and  do  have  something  to  eat,"  showed  her  motherly 
sympathy ;  while  Eva  was  wild  with  excitement. 

Max,  who  had  disappeared  as  the  party  entered  the 
house,  now  returned  with  a  huge  keg  of  newly  made 
spruce  beer  and  a  large  panful  of  cookies,  which  were 
soon  portioned  around  among  the  group. 

While  they  were  enjoying  themselves  thus,  who  should 
appear  but  Mr.  Benton  himself,  who,  though  he  had  been 
strolling  about  the  place,  had,  strangely  enough,  failed 
to  see  the  party  as  they  were  returning. 

"  Ah !  What !  When  did  you  come  back  ?  "  exclaimed 
that  gentleman,  as  he  opened  the  door  and  beheld  the 
party. 

"About  half  an  hour  ago,  or  less,"  remarked  Mr. 
Ready,  "  and  now  we're  going  to  try  the  other  direction." 

"  Humph  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  rather  emphati- 
cally. "Just  as  I  expected;  probably  didn't  go  far 
enough ;  stopped  too  soon.  Well,  well,"  he  said,  after  a 
pause ;  "  try  it  the  other  way,  now,  after  a  day's  rest." 

Then  they  all  began  to  talk  of  what  had  taken  place 
during  their  absence.  One  party  told  what  they  had 
done  while  on  the  trip,  and  the  other  what  had  hap- 
pened on  shore ;  and  between  them  the  time  passed  away 
rapidly  and  pleasantly  until  dusk. 

Mr.  Bemis  and  Mr.  Taylor  had  not  yet  returned  from 
their  fishing  excursion.  They  had  built  a  light  raft,  and 
spent  most  of  their  time  in  paddling  about  the  pond  and 
fishing  for  trout,  of  which  they  had  caught  some  immense 
fellows ;  and  gaffing  lobsters.  They  had  kept  the  family 
well  supplied  with  both  these  luxuries.  Max  now  opened 


THE  RETURN.  437 

half  a  dozen  large  lobsters  and  placed  them  upon  the 
table  as  a  side  dish  to  a  huge  platter  of  boiled  corned- 
beef  and  potatoes,  which  he  had  been  preparing,  to 
which  were  added  a  dish  of  greens  in  the  shape  of  beet 
tops,  with  a  few  young  beets  which  had  been  planted 
when  they  first  came  ashore,  and  which  now  proved  an 
excellent  substitute  for  spinach. 

The  supper  was  soon  prepared,  but  not  before  Mr.  Tay- 
lor and  Mr.  Bemis  had  both  appeared,  looking  like  two 
tramps,  bringing  between  them  a  huge  string  of  trout. 

"  Any  fishing  ?  "  laughed  Freddie,  as  the  two  appeared 
in  the  doorway. 

"  Hullo  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  as  he  saw  the  boys, 
— "  where'd  you  come  from  ?  did  you  find  the  Sea 
Foam?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  Fred,  "there  was  plenty  of  that, 
and  that's  about  all ;  but  what  big  fellows,"  looking  at 
and  handling  the  trout  admiringly  and  daintily,  "where 
did  you  get  them  ?  " 

"Over  in  the  pond,"  responded  the  former.  "Come 
with  us  next  week  and  we'll  show  you  how  to  fish  !  " 

To  this  the  boys  readily  agreed,  while  Max  soon  had 
several  of  the  fishes  cleaned  and  in  the  frying-pan,  with 
pork  scraps  and  Indian  meal. 

"  Supper  is  ready,  now  ! "  exclaimed  Max,  lifting  the 
fish  out  of  the  pan  into  a  platter  and  putting  pieces  of 
crisp  pork  beside  them.  A  grand  rush  for  the  table  told 
plainly  how  they  were  ready  for  supper. 

The  following  day  being  Sunday,  it  was  decided  not 
to  start  on  the  Up  trip  until  Monday,  thus  giving  to  all, 
as  was  much  needed,  a  day  of  rest. 

Sunday  was  a  very  quiet  day ;  though  blustering  and 
somewhat  foggy,  nothing  of  importance  transpired  and 


438  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

nobody  did  anything  out  of  the  usual  course  of  the  work 
of  the  day.  When  Monday  came  everybody  was  well 
rested  and  prepared  for  the  week's  work. 

When  the  boys  had  awakened  and  were  up  and  dressed, 
they  found  the  men  already  down  before  them  and  hard 
at  work  upon  the  boats ;  mending  the  sails  in  various 
places ;  strengthening  the  masts ;  scraping  off  the  oar 
handles ;  and  cleaning  out  the  cuddies.  The  water  kegs 
had  been  thoroughly  washed  out  and  were  draining, 
mouth  downward,  on  some  bushes  near  by. 

Pretty  soon  all  three  of  the  boys  got  together  in  a 
corner  of  the  old  storehouse,  or  of  "  the  old  stor'us,"  as 
everybody  now  insisted  upon  calling  it,  and  held  a  most 
mysterious  conference.  In  about  fifteen  minutes  the 
"  affairs  of  state  "  seemed  to  have  been  settled,  and  the 
meeting  broke  up. 

" Now,  what  yer  going  to  do,  boys?"  shouted  Mr. 
Cooper,  as  the  boys  were  disappearing  around  a  corner 
of  the  shed. 

"  We're  not  going  to  do  anything,"  replied  Allie,  who 
was  in  the  rear  of  the  others,  "  we're  going  to  let  some 
one  else  do  the  doing  this  time." 

"  What  can  those  boys  be  up  to  ?  "  thought  Mr.  Cooper, 
but  he  said  nothing. 

An  hour  later  at  the  breakfast  table,  the  boj'S  an- 
nounced, in  a  most  unexpected  manner,  by  unanimous 
vote,  not  to  accompany  the  boats  on  the  Up  trip,  then  in 
process  of  preparation.  The  only  clue  to  their  reason 
for  not  going,  that  anybody  could  find,  were  Freddie's 
words  :  "  We  think  we've  done  our  part,  and  now  we're 
going  to  stay  home  and  enjoy  ourselves,  and  let  the  rest 
of  the  party  get  on  as  best  they  can." 

Aware  that  there  would  be  a  vacancy  in  Mr.  Ready's 


THE    UP  TRIP.  439 

boat,  the  next  question  was  to  fill  it.  Mr.  Bemis  was  of 
course  obliged  to  take  their  place,  and  as  he  and  Mr. 
Taylor  had  been  much  together  of  late,  the  latter  offered 
to  accompany  him. 

"  All  right,  boys  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor.  "  You 
stay  at  home  this  time  and  we'll  take  your  place." 

This  was  evidently  very  satisfactory,  for  the  boys 
nodded  to  each  other,  and  could  barely  conceal  their 
satisfaction,  —  while  Mr.  Bemis  looked  on  rather  glumly, 
though  Mr.  Taylor,  now  that  he  had  entered  into  the 
spirit  of  the  thing,  seemed  intensely  satisfied  with  the 
arrangement. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  when  the 
boats  were  provisioned  and  ready  for  their  departure. 
All  hands  were  at  length  summoned,  and  the  boats  got 
under  way.  Thus  for  the  second  time  the  explorers 
proceeded  down  the  bay,  —  this  time  with  a  good  wind 
behind  them  and  on  their  way  up  the  coast. 

The  boys  fired  a  parting  salute  from  their  guns,  and 
halloed  until  they  were  hoarse,  from  the  shore,  as  the 
boats  got  farther  and  farther  away. 

"  There  ! "  exclaimed  Fred,  as  the  boats  disappeared 
around  the  bend,  "  we  did  it ! " 

"  Did  what  ?  "  cried  Eva,  who  was  standing  near. 

"  Made  those  two  great  lazy  men  do  their  share  of  the 
work,"  replied  Freddie. 

"  What  '  two  great  lazy  men '  ?  "  ^  asked  Eva. 

"Why,  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Bemis,"  replied  her  brother. 
"  They  haven't  done  a  stitch  of  work  since  we've  been 
here.  They  needn't  think  that  they're  going  to  live  in 
clover  all  the  time,  and  we  do  all  the  work." 

"  Hooray,  boys  !  now  for  a  time,"  cried  Allie,  as  he 
swung  his  hat  and  cheered  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 


440  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  We  haven't  been  a  mile  inland  since  we  were  here," 
put  in  John.  "  I  say,  all  hands  equip  for  an  expedition." 

His  suggestion  was  greeted  with  a  hearty  cheer,  and 
while  Allie  and  Fred  hurried  off  to  clean  their  guns  and 
load  some  shells,  John  put  his  botany  case  in  order  and 
prepared  to  collect  flowers,  lichens  and  mosses.  He  had 
already  gathered  a  large  collection  in  each  of  these 
branches,  and  was  now  eager  to  try  his  luck  inland. 

The  boys  soon  had  their  hunting  outfits  all  prepared, 
and,  snatching  a  hasty  lunch,  started  off. 

"  This  has  been  a  day  of  surprises,"  said  Era,  gaily,  to 
her  mother,  as  she  entered  the  house  after  bidding  good- 
bye to  the  boys.  "  I  wonder  what  will  come  next  ?  " 

"  I  guess  it  will  be  washing  the  dishes,"  laughed  Max, 
as  he  rolled  up  his  sleeves  and  began  dipping  out  some 
water  from  the  big  tin  boiler  on  the  stove. 

"Oh,  dear!"  sighed  that  young  lady  as  she  proceeded 
to  carry  out  this  part  of  the  programme,  "  I  wish  /  could 
have  a  day  off." 

"I  thought  you  had  a  good  many,"  remarked  her 
mother. 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  do,  without  knowing  it,"  she 
added,  after  a  minute,  and  speaking  rather  low  as  if  she 
were  talking  to  herself. 

"If  we  can  only  get  home  safe,"  said  her  mother, 
"we'll  all  have  a  day  off,  and  a  good  many  of  them; 
but  let  us  finish  our  work,  and  then  see  what  kind  of  a 
surprise  we  can  get  up  for  supper.  We  will  have  a 
lunch  at  noon,  and  dinner  and  supper  together  at  some- 
where about  dusk."  Having  said  this,  Mrs.  Benton 
turned  and  entered  her  room. 

It  will  now  be  necessary  to  have  our  attention  called, 
for  a  short  time,  in  another  and  different  direction. 


THE    UP   TRIP.  441 

Mr.  Benton,  when  he  came  awa£.  from  the  city,  had 
left  his  business  in  the  hands  of  a  half-brother  of  his, 
who  was  also  a  half-partner,  and  who  understood  affairs 
at  the  office  fully  as  well  as  did  Mr.  Benton  himself. 

The  latter  had  hardly  started  upon  the  voyage  north, 
when  this  half-brother,  who  was  also  a  bachelor,  died, 
leaving  all  his  property  to  Mr.  Bentori.  A  nephew  of 
this  half-brother,  who  was  also  in  the  employ  of  the 
firm,  acting  as  book-keeper,  had  been  so  fully  in  the 
confidence  of  both  brothers,  that  he  had  been  named  as 
the  executor  of  his  uncle's  will,  and  now  found  himself 
in  full  charge  of  the  affairs  at  the  office. 

This  nephew  knew  that  Mr.  Benton  intended  to  return 
from  his  trip  in  the  course  of  a  month  or  six  weeks,  pos- 
sibly two  months  from  the  time  he  had  started  from 
Boston.  Mr.  Benton,  like  a  wise  business  man,  had  also 
left  instructions  that,  should  he  fail  to  appear  within  a 
certain  time,  a  vessel  must  be  sent  in  search  of  him, 
starting  from  Quebec,  following  down  the  coast,  as  far 
as  Belle  Isle,  returning  on  the  Newfoundland  side  then 
to  and  around  the  island  of  Anticosti,  and  so  back  to 
Quebec. 

Mr.  Benton  had  thus  doubly  provided  for  himself  in 
case  of  accident.  Should  he  be  wrecked  anywhere  on 
the  Canada  shore  bordering  the  mainland,  he  felt  per- 
fectly safe.  Should  a  disaster  occur  at  the  Magdalen 
Islands  in  the  Gulf,  he  was  in  the  direct  line  of  vessels 
communicating  between  them  and  the  mainland.  If  on 
the  north  shore  of  St.  Lawrence  anywhere,  or  of  New- 
foundland, the  double  plan  offered  itself  of  hailing  some 
vessel  or  waiting  for  his  own  vessel  to  find  him.-  Of 
course  they  might  founder  or  go  down  in  the  middle  of 
the  gulf ;  but,  taking  it  altogether,  that  cautious  gentle- 


442  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

man  had  good  reason  to  congratulate  himself  upon  his 
own  precautions. 

Hal  Weatherby,  for  that  was  the  nephew's  name,  hav- 
ing waited  for  three  months  and  a  week  to  a  day,  for  the 
return  of  his  employer,  and  having  failed  in  all  his  en- 
deavors to  hear  from  Mr.  Benton,  had  at  length  gone  to 
Quebec,  chartered  a  schooner,  hired,  a  captain,  crew,  and 
pilot,  and,  leaving  affairs  in  charge  of  the  assistant  book- 
keeper, started  off,  pursuing  the  course  advised  by  Mr. 
Benton  himself, — putting  into  every  possible  harbor, 
watching  for  any  signals,  and  searching  in  every  possible 
direction  for  the  lost  ones.  He  changed  the  plan,  some- 
what, however ;  by  first  coasting  entirely  around  Anti- 
costi  Island,  and  then  following  the  north  shore  down. 

It  now  happened,  very  curiously,  that  the  day  before 
the  boats  had  started  up  the  coast,  the  wind  began  to 
blow  strong  from  the  northeast ;  soon  it  increased  into  a 
regular  gale. 

The  gale  had  come  up  so  suddenly  that  the  party  on 
board  the  schooner  had  barely  discovered  it  before  it 
was  upon  them. 

"  All  hands  on  deck,  there,  to  take  in  sail ! "  thundered 
Captain  French.  "  Lively,  now,  lively ! " 

The  men  all  flew  to  their  stations,  while  the  man  at 
the  wheel  put  the  schooner  about  and  let  her  scud  before 
the  blast. 

"  Eocks  ahead ! "  shouted  the  lookout. 

Just  then  the  thin  cloud  of  fog  which  had  been  obscur- 
ing everything,  in  spite  of  the  wind,  opened  sufficiently  to 
allow  the  men  to  see  that  they  were  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  rocks. 

As  yet  the  mainsail  had  not  been  lowered ;  so,  by  a 
skillful  turn  of  the  wheel,  the  schooner  was  brought  up 


AN  EXCITING   SCENE.  443 

into  the  wind  sufficiently  to  enable  her  to  escape  this 
new  danger.  And  now  the  men  hastened  to  lower  the 
sails.  The  topsails  had  already  been  taken  in.  The 
mainsail  was  now  lowered  and  furled. 

At  length  old  Captain  French,  the  pilot,  insisting  that 
he  knew  where  he  was,  and  that  the  rocks  they  had  so 
nearly  been  dashed  against  formed  part  of  a  harbor  en- 
trance, the  vessel  was  kept  off  once  more  and  headed 
directly  in  shore  again.  As  they  approached  the  rocks 
the  vessel's  head  was  sheered  and  they  quickly  found 
themselves  in  a  narrow  pass  defended  by  rugged  rocks 
on  either  side,  and  in  a  swift  but  deep  current  that 
carried  them  on  at  a  most  furious  rate.  A  moment  later 
and  they  rounded  the  point  into  a  large  and  capacious 
harbor. 

"  Down  with  the  foresail ! "  shouted  the  pilot,  as  a 
gust  of  wind,  stronger  than  any  that  had  come  before, 
struck  the  canvas. 

"  Wait  a  moment ! "  shouted  the  pilot,  as  the  captain, 
who  was  at  the  wheel,  not  seeing  the  danger,  gave  the 
wheel  a  turn  that  brought  the  schooner's  head  before 
the  wind. 

"  It's  all  right ! "  shouted  the  captain,  not  understand- 
ing matters  and  giving  the  wheel  another  turn,  "let  her 

go." 

Her  pilot  tried  to  tell  the  captain  not  to  put  her  before 
the  wind  again,  but  with  the  rattling  of  everything  on 
board  there  was  no  possibility  of  his  hearing,  and  so  the 
pilot  simply  waved  his  hand  violently  in  the  opposite 
direction,  but  to  no  purpose. 

Moments  are  hours  in  a  gale  at  sea ;  and  so  here,  all 
in  one  instant  the  vessel  had  entered  a  harbor  in  a  tre- 
mendous gale.  The  crew  had  started  to  lower  her  fore- 


444  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

sail,  when  the  sail  stuck,  and  the  gale  had  struck  the 
canvas  with  a  blow  equal  to  that  of  a  loaded  cannon. 
For  a  moment  every  inch  of  the  old  craft  shivered  from 
stem  to  stern,  and  while  the  boom  was  swaying  back- 
ward and  forward,  with  a  single  crack  it  snapped  in  two 
like  a  pipestem. 

It  was  fortunate  for  all  on  board  that  at  this  same  in- 
stant the  fury  of  the  gale,  as  if  it  had  accomplished  its 
work,  abated,  and  the  men  were  enabled  to  get  the  sail 
down  at  last.  It  required  but  a  few  moments  to  take 
in  all  sail,  and  bring  the  schooner  to  an  anchorage  ;  but 
hardly  had  this  been  accomplished,  and  all  hands  were 
beginning  to  breathe  once  more,  when  the  wind  began  to 
blow  again  with  redoubled  fury,  as  if  fairly  aroused  to 
anger  that  so  far  it  had  been  enabled  to  inflict  so  little 
damage  upon  the  gallant  little  craft  and  its  resolute  crew. 

"  Put  out  both  anchors  ! "  shouted  the  captain,  "  and 
just  as  much  chain  as  you  can  spare." 

The  order  was  obeyed,  instantly,  and  the  schooner 
rode  in  safety.  Still  the  wind  blew  with  all  its  force, 
threatening  to  send  her  at  any  moment  against  the  rocks 
on  the  other  side  of  the  harbor ;  but  all  had  been  done 
that  it  was  possible  to  do  to  save  her,  and  watches  were 
posted ;  in  fact,  captain,  pilot  and  crew,  —  all,  remained 
on  deck  the  whole  night. 

"  The  worst  blow  I  was  ever  in,"  remarked  the  honest 
old  pilot. 

"  Oh,  'tis  nothing ! "  put  in  Billy,  one  of  the  seamen, 
noted  for  his  fearlessness,  or  for  never  giving  way  to  his 
fears,  and  for  always  having  seen  "something  worse," 
or,  "  something  better  than  that."  "  Oh,  that's  nothing," 
and  he  rubbed  his  hands  together,  and  balanced  himself, 
seaman-like,  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other. 


AN  EXCITING   SCENE.  445 

"  Hullo !    I  say,  cook !  can't  you  give  us  some  coffee  ?  " 

"Aye,  aye,  sir!"  shouted  the  cook,  as  he  appeared 
out  of  the  fore  hatch,  "all  ready,  sir;"  and  all  hands 
were  soon  drinking  hot  coffee  and  munching  hardtack. 

Still  the  wind  blew  all  night,  now  off  and  now  on, 
fiercely  and  terribly.  It  was  a  fearful  strain  for  the 
little  vessel,  but  she  bore  it  splendidly.  The  anchors 
and  the  chains  held,  —  in  spite  of  the  fears  of  the  cap- 
tain, pilot,  and  crew. 

It  was  a  happy  set  of  men  who,  about  four  next  morn- 
ing, the  wind  having  subsided,  sought  their  bunks  to 
sleep. 

It  was  nearly  noon  before  they  began  to  appear  on 
deck.  It  was  a  calm,  lovely  day,  the  surface  of  the  har- 
bor unruffled,  and  no  sign  of  the  frightful  storm  of  the 
previous  day  could  be  seen  anywhere  around,  save  in  the 
broken  boom  of  the  schooner's  foremast. 

After  breakfast  the  men  set  about  repairing  the  damage 
as  best  they  might. 

They  took  their  axes  and  set  out  for  a  small  growth  of 
fairly  large-sized  spruces,  that  they  saw  not  far  away, 
and  then,  after  considerable  difficulty  in  finding  just 
what  they  wanted,  cut  down  three  tall,  straight,  tough 
young  spruces,  and  out  of  them  formed  three  poles 
about  eight  feet  long  and  four  inches  thick.  These  were 
chipped  of  their  outer  bark  all  around,  so  that  nothing 
but  the  white  wood  remained.  Then  they  were  rounded 
off  excepting  upon  one  side,  where  they  were  flattened 
or  even  concaved  a  very  little.  With  these  over  their 
shoulders  the  men  returned  to  the  schooner.  There  they 
found  about  twenty  fathoms  of  good  stout  three-quarter 
inch  hemp  rope,  and  a  long  iron  crowbar,  and  were  ready 
for  work. 


446  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

The  pieces  of  the  broken  boom  were  now  put  in  place, 
the  spruce  poles  laid  at  equal  distances  from  each  other 
around  the  boom,  with  their  centers  opposite  the  broken 
part,  and  nailed  in  place.  One  end  of  the  rope  was  then 
fastened  securely  to  the  boom  and  the  piece  wound 
round  and  round  the  whole.  The  crowbar  acted  as  a 
lever  to  strain  the  rope  to  its  utmost  at  each  turn,  and 
the  end  fastened  as  at  the  beginning. 

"  There,"  exclaimed  the  captain,  when  all  was  finished. 
"  There ;  now  we've  got  as  good  a  boom  as  we  had  to 
start  with." 

Then  the  sailors  rigged  the  foresail  in  its  place  again, 
and  soon  the  schooner  was  all  ready  to  start  once  more. 

"Now  we  can  go  ahead  flying,"  cried  the  pilot,  in 
great  delight. 

All  this  work  was  of  course  not  accomplished  without 
considerable  time  elapsing,  and,  when  all  was  in  readi- 
ness for  starting  off  once  more,  it  was  growing  on  toward 
dark  again. 

"I  guess  we  had  better  stay  here  one  more  night," 
remarked  the  captain,  "  then  we  will  be  all  fresh  to  start 
off  early  in  the  morning." 

This  was  responded  to  heartily  by  all,  —  the  tired 
sailors  being  quite  willing  to  have  a  good  night's  rest 
after  their  work. 

AVhile  they  were  getting  ready  for  supper,  a  small 
boat  was  seen  to  round  the  corner  of  the  rocks  and  make 
directly  for  the  mouth  of  the  harbor ;  soon  another  one 
followed  the  first,  then  both  jibed,  and  in  five  minutes 
each  party  was  in  plain  sight  of  the  other. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  boats,  and  though  it  was 
almost  dusk,  the  faces  of  both  parties  began  to  grow 
plainer  every  minute. 


AN  EXCITING   SCENE.  447 

"  Great  Scott ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Taylor,  who,  with  Mr. 
Bemis  and  Mr.  Ready,  were  in  the  foremost  boat.  "  If 
that  isn't  Hal  Weatherby  it's  his  departed  spirit." 

"Well,  I  declare!"  exclaimed  Hal  Weatherby,  at 
almost  the  same  moment,  "if  that  isn't  young  Taylor, 
and  Bemis,  and  Mr.  Eeady  himself ! " 

"Hullo!" 

"  Hullo  !  "  sounded  from  either  side  at  the  same  time ; 
and  instantly  a  dozen  caps  were  wildly  waving  and 
beating  the  air  at  the  same  time,  while  the  old  shores 
resounded  with  yells  and  screeches  of  every  possible 
variety. 

Five  minutes  later,  and  the  whole  party  were  together 
on  the  schooner's  deck,  embracing  each  other  as  if  they 
had  all  suddenly  risen  from  the  dead. 


448  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

AN    ARRIVAL. 

IT  was  a  jolly  crowd  indeed  that  took  supper  together 
that  night,  and  a  hearty  supper  it  was.  The  best  of 
everything  that  the  two  boats  and  the  schooner  afforded 
were  brought  out  and  shared  between  both  parties,  and 
all  had  a  capital  good  time  of  it. 

"  The  wind  to-day,"  remarked  Mr.  Taylor,  while  they 
were  lying  around  and  making  themselves  comfortable 
after  their  supper,  "  has  been  rather  an  uncertain  quan- 
tity, with  us  at  least." 

"  How  so  ?  "  questioned  Mr.  Weatherby. 

"  Why !  we  started  out  of  our  harbor  with  a  fine  breeze 
behind  us,  and  just  as  soon  as  we  were  fairly  outside  and 
had  turned  our  prows  westward,  it  died  down  and  left  us 
to  lie  around  in  a  dead  calm  or  pull  at  the  oars.  We 
chose  the  latter  course,  and  now  the  wind  turns  and 
blows  against  us  as  hard  as  it  did  awhile  ago  at  our 
backs.  My  hands  are  covered  with  blisters,"  he  added. 

"  So  are  mine,"  faintly  rejoined  Mr.  Bemis. 

"  How  far  is  it  to  where  you  are  stopping  ? "  asked 
Mr.  Weatherby. 

"It  couldn't  be  over  ten  or  twelve  miles,  at  most," 
replied  Mr.  Heady. 

"It  seemed  a  hundred  and  twelve,"  said  Mr.  Bemis. 

"  What  time  do  you  make  it  ?  " 

"  It's  about  thirteen  minutes  of  five,"  said  Mr.  Taylor, 
looking  at  his  watch. 


AN  ARRIVAL.  449 

"  Who's  the  boss  of  the  party  ?  "  laughed  Mr.  Weath- 
erby.  "  You  are,  Ready,  of  course  !  " 

Mr.  Ready  looked  somewhat  sad  as  he  pointed  to  Mr. 
Cooper,  and  then  told  the  reason  why. 

Mr.  Weatherby  then  called  Mr.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Ready 
to  one  side  and  a  brief  consultation  took  place,  —  the 
result  of  which  will  soon  appear. 

All  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Benton,  Max,  and  Eva  had 
been  bravely  struggling  with  roast  ducks  and  a  mon- 
strous plum  pudding,  —  "a  regular  brown  Christmas 
one,"  laughed  Eva ;  but  somehow  the  ducks  didn't  pick 
good,  the  dressing  didn't  mix  right,  the  roasting-pan 
wasn't  big  enough,  and  the  question  was  how  to  cook  the 
ducks  and  pudding  so  as  to  have  them  both  done  and  hot 
at  the  same  time. 

All  three  puzzled  their  brains  the  whole  afternoon 
over  this  problem ;  how  they  finally  accomplished  it  no 
one,  not  even  Max,  could  tell ;  but  at  half-past  six,  when 
all  were  summoned  to  supper,  no  one  but  the  cooks  and 
Mr.  Benton  appeared  before  a  supper  set  for  six,  and 
almost  large  enough  for  sixteen,  —  for  the  ducks  and 
pudding  were  only  extras,  gotten  up  especially  for  the 
boys,  who  were  supposed  to  be  half  famished  from  their 
trip  "  down  along  !  "  as  Eva  said  laughingly. 

"  Well,  now  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Benton,  "  here's  our 
supper  and  no  one  to  eat  it." 

As  seven  o'clock  came,  and  no  boys,  those  at  home 
sat  down,  in  a  most  doleful  frame  of  mind,  to  eat  it 
themselves  or  so  much  of  it  as  they  were  able. 

Mr.  Benton  seemed  to  feel  in  an  unusually  pleasant 
frame  of  mind,  for  some  reason  or  other,  and  they  all 
sat  for  a  long  time  discussing  the  final  end  of  the  ban- 
quet, —  the  plum  pudding. 


450  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

While  they  were  laughing  and  talking  together,  Mr. 
Benton  pulled  out  his  watch  and  looked  at  it. 

"  Eight  o'clock,  —  and  ten  minutes  past,"  he  added, 
holding  it  closer  to  his  eyes  to  see  more  plainly,  as  it 
was  an  old-fashioned  watch,  with  a  gold  face  and  gold 
numbers  around  it.  "  I  declare,  those  boys  ought  to  be 
put  to  bed  without  their  supper  for  staying  away  so  late 
and  causing  us  so  much  worry." 

Mr.  Benton's  genial  face  looked  very  little  like  worry, 
as  it  beamed  upon  all  around  him. 

"  Oh,  no ! "  cried  Eva,  "  what  should  we  do  with  all 
this  supper  that's  left  ?  " 

"Ah!"  replied  Mr.  Benton.  "H'm!  Yes!  as  a  san- 
itary measure  you  are  right." 

"  What's  all  that  noise  outside ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Benton,  turning  her  head  and  looking  somewhat  excited 
as  she  glanced  uneasily  at  the  door. 

"  Wind  or  geese,  I  guess,"  laughed  Eva.  "  Why  you 
look  just  like  Mrs.  Weatherby,  ma,  when  you  do  that," 
said  Eva. 

At  the  name  of  Weatherby,  Mr.  Benton  started,  almost 
tumbling  over  with  his  chair,  and  looked  so  serious  that 
Eva  almost  cried,  from  mere  fright,  though  she  did  not 
know  why.  In  a  minute  Mr.  Benton  regained  his  posi- 
tion, and  smiled,  as  he  said  : 

"  We'll  wait  a  little  longer,  I  don't  think  that  we  are 
floored  quite  yet." 

Then  he  chuckled  audibly. 

"  Are  you  crazy  ?  "  demanded  Mrs.  Benton. 

"  Ah-h  !  H'm-m ! "  responded  Mr.  Benton,  rubbing  his 
chin  very  meekly,  "  not  that  I  am  aware ;  but  that  flock 
of  geese  must  be  to  remain  so  long,  so  near  the  house.  I 
hear  them  again,  they  must  have  landed." 


i 


AN  ARRIVAL.  451 

At  that  moment  the  geese  grew  noisier  than  ever,  and 
even  seemed  to  have  turned  themselves  into  human 
beings ;  a  moment  later  the  door  burst  open  and  the 
crowd  that  wedged  their  way  inside  was  something  for- 
midable. First  came  Mr.  Taylor,  then  Mr.  Bemis,  then 
Mr.  Ready  and  a  tall,  pleasant-looking  man  right  behind 
him,  then  Mr.  Cooper,  and  finally  three  boys  with  their 
hands  full  of  partridges  and  a  large,  green-looking  ani- 
mal, with  a  broad  flat  tail  and  dark  fur  over  the  skin,  — 
at  any  other  time  this  alone  would  have  been  the  center 
of  attraction,  but  just  now  the  tall,  pleasant-looking  man 
occupied  everybody's  attention. 

"  Ah !  Mr.  Weatherby.  Good  evening,  sir ;  good  even- 
ing, sir ! "  and  Mr.  Benton  jumped  from  his  seat  and 
rushed  across  the  room,  notwithstanding  his  natural 
desire  to  be  and  appear  perfectly  cool  and  self-possessed 
even  in  such  a  situation,  and  grasped  and  shook  warmly 
the  hand  of  Hal  Weatherby,  who  returned  the  greeting 
just  as  fervently  as  it  was  given.  "  Sit  down,  sir ;  sit 
down ;  we  were  just  about  to  dine,  —  you  will  of  course 
join  us." 

Mr.  Benton's  desire  to  appear  perfectly  cool,  and  his 
impulse  to  be  as  glad  as  anybody  (more  glad  perhaps 
than  any  one,  if  the  truth  were  known),  to  welcome  just 
that  particular  person,  at  just  that  particular  and  critical 
time,  so  amused  every  one  that  all  laughed  heartily,  — 
and  "for  nearly  ten  minutes  it  was  difficult,"  as  Miss 
Eva  remarked  afterwards,  "  to  even  hear  oneself  think." 

"WRat  do  you  want  to  hear  yourself  think  for?  what 
nonsense,"  said  Freddie. 

"  Max,"  said  Mrs.  Benton,  "  I  don't  see  but  that  you 
will  have  to  set  the  dinner  over  again;  callers,  you 
know  ! "  she  added,  smiling. 


452  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"Ah,  yes,  mam,"  replied  Max,  laughing  in  his  turn, 
"  such  callers  mustn't  go  away  hungry,  that  would  never 
do." 

In  a  little  while  the  table  had  been  reset,  and  there 
was  still  found  enough  to  satisfy  even  so  large  a  crowd 
as  were  the  new  comers.  At  the  end  the  plum  pud- 
ding came  on  looking  as  large  and  as  round  as  ever, 
and  apparently  not  at  all  diminished  by  the  inroads 
of  the  four  who  had  preceded  the  new  comers.  It 
was,  taking  it  all  together,  probably  the  pleasantest 
tea  or  rather  dinner  party  that  the  old  house  had  ever 
known. 

After  dinner  Mr.  Weatherby  related  the  news,  brought 
out  bundle  after  bundle  of  papers,  and  letters,  and  pack- 
ages for  every  one,  so  that  it  was  past  midnight  before 
anybody  seemed  aware  that  it  was  even  ten  o'clock. 

"  I  suppose  that  we  must  all  go  to  bed,  if  we  want  to 
do  any  sleeping  to-night,"  remarked  Mr.  Benton. 

"We  can  all  go  to  bed,"  said  Fred,  "but  I'm  afraid 
there  won't  be  much  sleeping  done  to-night." 

"  Or  this  morning,  either,"  laughed  Allie. 

"  It's  the  hardest  work  to  get  you  children  packed  off 
to  bed,"  remarked  Mrs.  Benton. 

"  If  you'll  only  let  me  clear  off  the  table  and  eat  my 
supper,"  said  Max,  unable  to  stand  the  pressure  any 
longer,  "  I'll  be  very  thankful." 

Mr.  Benton  jumped  up  and  looked  very  smilingly  over 
to  Mrs.  Benton,  as  he  remarked,  "  My  dear,  I  think  the 
cook  would  like  his  supper." 

And  now  the  party  dispersed  as  quickly  as  only  tired 
and  excited  people  can,  leaving  the  cook  in  full  posses- 
sion. 

To  say  that  confusion  reigned  the  next  day  among  the 


AN  ARRIVAL.  453 

members  of  the  family  and  the  adherents  of  the  Bentons, 
would  be  putting  it  mildly,  to  say  the  very  least,  while 
Mr.  Benton,  the  head  of  all,  was.  the  happiest  and  most 
confused  of  them  all. 

Hal  Weatherby  stood  by  and  enjoyed  the  confusion 
and  laughed  with  the  rest  of  thernr  Most  of  the  morn- 
ing was  spent  in  doing  nothing,  that  is  "  in  flying  around 
like  mad,  and  not  doing  a  thing,"  —  at  least  so  Eva 
expressed  it,  and  it  was  "  dinner  time  before  the  morning 
had  half  gone,"  —  so  Eva  said  again.  At  any  rate,  just 
as  dinner  was  being  served  the  boys  rushed  frantically 
into  the  house  to  say  that  "a  big  ship"  was  "just  com- 
ing into  the  bay." 

Everybody  jumped  up  from  the  table  at  this  news, 
and  crowded  the  door  and  windows  to  get  a  view  of  this 
wonder. 

Of  course  it  was  no  other  than  Mr.  Hal  Weatherby's 
Snow  Flake  that  was  "  coming  down." 

Mr.  Benton  gazed  at  her  with  admiration,  and  then 
remarked,  "  Did  you  say  that  she  was  good  for  a  thou- 
sand quintals  of  fish  besides  all  these  passengers,  Mr. 
Weatherby  ?  You  are  quite  sure  of  the  fact  ?  " 

Mr.  Hal  Weatherby  laughed  heartily,  but  replied  : 

"  Yes,  for  twice  that  amount,  if  need  be,  —  we'll  show 
you  by  the  end  of  the  week." 

"  The  end  of  the  week ! "  repeated  Fred,  in  a  most 
dismal  and  doleful  tone  of  voice.  "  Why,  I'd  undertake 
to  load  her  up,  with  all  these  men  to  help,  in  less  than 
twenty-four  hours.  I  don't  know  how  the  rest  feel,"  he 
added,  after  a  few  moments'  pause,  "but  /  want  to  get 
away  from  here  just  as  soon  as  I  possibly  can." 

"There's  enterprise  for  you,"  remarked  Mr.  Benton, 
looking  admiringly  upon  Fred.  "Those  boys  might 


454  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

make  smart  business  men,  Mr.  Weatherby,  if  they'd  only 
stick  to  it." 

"  Stick  to  it,"  repeated  Fred,  "  we  boys  have  done  our 
share,  Mr.  Weatherby,  you  may  depend ;  ask  Eva." 

A  smile  went  around  at  this  remark. 

"  I  declare  ! "  exclaimed  Fred,  "  I  almost  forgot  my 
partridges  and  my  beaver." 

At  that  moment  a  small  gray  animal  ran  lightly  across 
the  floor  and  backed  up  into  one  corner  of  the  room, 
growling  and  hissing  so  spitefully  that  all  were  glad  to 
get  out  of  its  way.  It  had  a  big  round  bunch  of  feathers 
in  its  teeth,  which  it  was  shaking  and  worrying  between 
its  growls,  much  as  a  small  dog  plays  with  a  ball  of  rags. 
Mr.  "Weatherby  jumped  and  nearly  upset  the  dinner 
table  in  his  eagerness  to  get  out  of  the  way. 

"  Goodness  gracious ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Weatherby, 
"  what  kind  of  a  machine  do  you  call  that  'f  " 

"'Tisn't  a  machine  at  all,"  said  Eva,  resentfully,  "it's 
only  my  dear  Spit.  Here  !  Spit !  Spit !  come  here,  sir ! 
What  have  you  got  there  ?  What  are  you  doing,  sir  ?  " 
•  But  Spit  was  anything  but  a  dear  Spit,  just  then,  and 
he  continued  to  growl  and  shake  the  bunch  of  feathers 
most  furiously  and  spitefully. 

"  I  declare ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  just  then,  "  if  that 
miserable  thing  hasn't  got  one  of  my  partridges,"  and 
Fred  made  a  lunge  at  the  small  cat  with  a  broomstick. 

"  Let  him  alone  ! "  screamed  Eva. 

All  the  time  Freddie  was  poking  Spit,  and  Spit  was 
spitting,  in  great  style. 

"  Oh  Fire  !  Fire !  Fire ! "  screamed  Eva,  at  the  top  of 
her  voice. 

Everybody  started  on  the  run,  and  all  asked  in  a 
breath,  "Where?  where?" 


AN  ARRIVAL.  455 

"  Oh,  no  ! "  cried  Eva,  excitedly. 

"  Fire !  Fire !  Fire  ! "  cried  everybody. 

"  No,  no  ! "  shouted  Eva,  as  loud  as  she  could.  "  Spit 
and  Fire  are  each  eating  one  of  Fred's  partridges ;  there 
goes  Fire  now,  up  the  loft,  stop  him  some  one." 

Eva  had  changed  the  names  of  her  pets  a  dozen  times, 
to  say  the  very  least,  since  her  first  names  of  Popsy 
and  Topsy. 

The  two  cats,  now  well-grown  and  somewhat  savage, 
though  tamed  considerably  by  good  food  and  petting, 
were  finally  captured,  tied  once  more  to  the  ropes  from 
which  they  both  had  broken  loose,  as  they  had  often 
done  before,  and  the  partridges,  saving  several  bites  and 
the  loss  of  a  large  quantity  of  feathers,  recovered. 

At  length  all  sat  down  to  dinner.  The  bean  soup 
never  tasted  better,  and  a  small  variety  of  vegetables, 
including  cabbage,  beets,  and  new  potatoes,  which  Mr. 
Weatherby  had  brought  with  him,  were  eaten  with  the 
greatest  of  relish, — being  things  which  they  had  not 
had  since  leaving  home,  and  also  reminding  them  that 
there  were  plenty  more  where  these  came  from. 

"  Hadn't  we  better  go  home  by  Quebec  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Weatherby.  "  We  can  get  rid  of  all  our  remaining  dry 
goods  and  groceries  at  a  small  port  about  opposite  Anti- 
costi  Island  that  I  know  of,  for  they  told  me  as  much 
when  I  was  there.  Then  we  can  get  a  good  price  for 
our  fish  at  Quebec  and  save  considerable." 

"  I  believe  you  told  me  that  you  chartered  the  schooner 
at  Quebec  ?  "  replied  Mr.  Benton. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Weatherby. 

"  Then  go  back  there  again,  by  all  means ;  you'd  only 
double  your  charter  by  going  to  Boston  the  other  way, 
and  I  doubt  if  even  the  extra  price,  if  you  get  it,  for 


456  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

your  fish  in  the  Boston  markets  would  cover  you.  Yes, 
go  to  Quebec,  by  all  means,"  said  Mr.  Benton. 

"By  the  way"  said  Mr.  Weatherby,  "I've  a  little  sur- 
prise for  you,  I  think.  You  remember  that  Duncan 
property  ?  " 

"  You  refer  to  the  real  estate  which  we  had  as  trustees 
for  that  California  gold  digger,  who  would  persist  in 
working  a  dead  Californian  gold  mine  to  staying  at 
home  and  being  a  rich  man  from  the  real  estate  left 
him  by  his  uncle  ?  " 

••  The  very  same." 

"Well,  what  of  him  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Benton. 

"Why,  he  has  died,  and  left  all  his  property  to  his 
trustees,  and  —  " 

"  You  don't  say  so ! "  said  Mr.  Benton,  in  amazement. 

"And,"  continued  Mr.  Weatherby,  "the  gold  mine, 
besides,  in  which  he  struck  a  lead  three  days  before  he 
died,  that  they  say  will  pan  out  rich  too." 

"  Well !  that  is  news,"  said  Mr.  Benton. 

"  I  suppose  that  all  of  that  is  yours,  now,"  remarked 
Mr.  Weatherby,  in  rather  a  sad  tone  of  voice. 

"  Ah !  Hal,  my  boy,  you  should  be  cheerful  when  you 
bear  such  cheerful  news.  We  will  oil  share  it.  You've 
only  to  live  in  such  a  place  as  this  four  months  to  enjoy 
it  thoroughly,  be  glad  you  came,  to  wish  to  come  again 
—  for  the  air,  mind  you,  for  the  air  —  and  declare  that 
nothing  would  ever  tempt  you  to  live  here,  except  from 
dire  necessity,  for  over  twenty -four  hours  to  agree  with 
me  fully ;  "  and  having  delivered  his  mind  of  a  great 
weight,  he  tilted  back  in  his  chair,  crossed  his  legs,  and 
beamed  most  cordially  over  at  Mr.  Weatherby. 

Hal  Weatherby  jumped  from  his  chair,  grasped  Mr. 
Benton's  hand,  and  gave  it  a  squeeze  with  both  of  his ; 


AN  ARRIVAL,  457 

then  turned  suddenly  and  looked  out  of  the  window  very 
intently. 

"  Well,  boys,"  laughed  Mr.  Benton,  "  now  you've  been 
to  Labrador,  I  suppose  you  wouldn't  mind  going  to  Cali- 
fornia ?  If  everything  is  satisfactory,  you  know.  Some- 
body's got  to  go,  you  know,  and  look  after  this  wild  cat 
gold  mine.  Somebody  must  get  fifty  per  cent,  commis- 
sion for  selling  it  or  working  it,  if  it's  good  for  anything ; 
and  we  might  just  as  well  see  to  it  ourselves  and  save 
the  money." 

"And,  now,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  rising,  "every  one  of 
you,  men  and  boys,  get  out  of  here  and  load  that  vessel. 
The  quicker  she's  loaded  the  quicker  we'll  start  for 
home." 

"  Hooray !  "  cried  Fred,  bounding  out  of  the  door,  and 
waving  his  hat  and  shouting  in  the  intensity  of  his  de- 
light. "  Where  are  you  going  ? "  cried  he,  as  he  saw 
Mr.  Weatherby  and  Mr.  Taylor  slinking  away,  almost  on 
tip-toe,  behind  the  house,  each  with  a  big  fish  pole  over 
his  shoulder. 

Hal  Weatherby 's  appealing  look,  and  plaintive  "just 
once,  you  know,"  were  too  much,  and  even  Fred  couldn't 
find  it  in  his  heart  to  say  a  word,  eager  as  he  was  to  get 
home. 

The  men  worked  hard  all  the  afternoon,  taking  out  the 
ballast  from  the  schooner  and  loading  in  the  codfish. 

"Them's  all  good  fish,"  remarked  Captain  French, 
looking  at  them  critically,  and  picking  over  a  few  of 
the  bundles  so  that  he  could  see  how  they  were  as  to 
size  and  quality.  "  Them's  all  good  fish,  ought  to  bring 
sixteen  ter  eighteen  good  English  shilling." 

"  How  much  is  that  ?  "  asked  Eva,  who  was  near  by, 
looking  on. 


458  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

"  Oh,  thet's  fo'  to  fo'  an'  a  haf,"  said  Captain  French. 

"  How  funny  he  is,"  remarked  Eva  to  Fred. 

The  work  of  loading  the  schooner  went  on  all  the 
afternoon. 

The  fish  were  packed  away  in  the  hold  and  seemed 
likely  to  fill  it  up  pretty  full.  Then  there  were  the  re- 
mains of  the  stores  to  be  put  in,  and  all  of  the  boxes  and 
bales  of  dry  goods  and  small  wares  that  had  been  taken 
out  for  trade  with  the  natives. 

"The  hardest  work,"  said  Eva,  "will  be  at  the  last 
end,  when  we  come  to  leave  all  of  our  beautiful  little 
house,  and  the  garden,  and  the  brook." 

"  And  the  wharf,  and  the  water,  and  the  hill,  and  the 
lake,  and  the  trout,  and  everything  we've  grown  so  to 
love,  behind  us,"  added  Allie. 

"  And  then,"  said  Eva,  "  we  must  take  Spit  and  Fire 
home  with  us." 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  sighed  Fred,  "  I  never  expect  to  shoot 
so  many  ducks  again  in  all  my  life." 

"No,  no!"  added  Allie,  "or  have  so  much  fun,  and 
—  then  —  I  almost  want  to  stay  here  the  rest  of  my 
life.  I'm  sure  we  could  find  enough  to  live  on,  and 
there'd  be  no  awful  board  bill,  such  as  Jackson  talks 
and  worries  so  much  about,  to  pay.  Well,  boys  !  let's 
stay." 

"  Guess  we'd  better  go  home,"  remarked  John,  "  I 
want  to  go  to  college." 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  exclaimed  Fred,  unable  any  longer  to  hold 
his  patience.  "  Oh,  yes  !  go  to  college,  take  the  entrance 
prize,  take  the  valedictory,  take  all  the  first  prizes,  take 
everything  you  can  get,  and  then  —  " 

"Then  sigh  like  Alexander  for  more  worlds  to  con- 
quer," laughed  John. 


AN  ARRIVAL.  459 

"No,  turn  into  a  pig  and  grunt,  because  you  can't  get 
enough  or  anybody  to  scratch  your  back." 

Freddie  had  no  patience  with  John's  desire  to  "  cram  " 
all  the  time;  this  was  the  first  time  that  he  had  ever 
spoken  out  his  thoughts,  and  now  he  was  vexed  with 
himself  for  doing  it  and  with  everybody  and  everything 
else  around  him. 

"  Boys,  boys ! "  cried  Mrs.  Benton,  from  the  door  of 
the  house,  "  I  wish  you'd  come  and  get  some  more  wood." 

Glad  of  the  change  in  the  conversation,  the  boys  rushed 
off,  pell  mell,  to  do  as  their  mother  had  requested. 

At  last  supper  time  came,  and  so,  as  it  was  found  that 
another  day,  or  a  part  of  a  day  at  least,  would  be  required 
to  complete  the  work  of  loading  the  schooner,  it  was  de- 
cided to  make  it  a  grand  thanksgiving  day,  and  have 
their  final  grand  dinner  at  dusk,  so  as  to  start  off  the 
next  morning,  bright  and  early,  if  pleasant  weather 
would  permit.  As  one  "  grand  dinner "  was  so  like 
another,  and  the  variety  always  limited,  it  seemed  to 
amuse  Max  immensely,  so  that  he  laughed  heartily 
whenever  anybody  mentioned  it  to  him. 

There  were  some  improvements  in  this  special  "  grand 
dinner "  which  had  not  been  in  the  previous  ones,  in 
spite  of  Max's  laugh :  —  there  were  boiled  cabbage,  boiled 
beets,  boiled  and  baked  new  potatoes  and  sweet  potatoes ; 
squash  pies,  from  fresh  squashes ;  green  sweet  corn, 
celery,  roasted  ducks,  roasted  partridges,  and  an  im- 
mense rice  pudding  with  raisins  in  it. 

"  Well,  Max,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  when  he  saw  all  these 
things,  "  I  think  you  had  better  come  home  with  us,  and 
cook  for  the  family.  You  may  consider  yourself  engaged. 
Six  months  at  home,  and  I'd  set  a  table  with  the  best  on 
Commonwealth  Avenue." 


460  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    CONCLUSION. 

IT  was  nearly  noon  of  the  next  day  before  everything 
was  on  board  the  Snow  Flake. 

Eva,  with  tearful  eyes,  went  out  to  visit  her  little 
garden-patch  for  the  last  time,  and,  more  as  an  act  of 
habit  than  anything  else,  to  water  the  plants  and  pick  a 
bunch  of  flowers  for  the  table. 

"  I  declare,  it  makes  me  feel  like  crying  to  part  with 
them,"  exclaimed  she. 

"  We'll  plant  them  in  our  dream-castle  and  see  them 
every  night,"  laughed  Freddie,  good-naturedly. 

"  Come,  come,  children,"  cried  Mrs.  Benton ;  "  have  you 
taken  all  your  things  on  board  ?  " 

As  four  voices  responded,  "Yes  'em,"  Mrs.  Benton 
turned  away  with  the  words : 

"  Extraordinary.  I  never  knew  children,  before,  that 
hadn't  more  to  bring  away  with  them  at  the  last  moment 
than  at  any  other  time." 

By  and  by  a  voice  from  the  wharf  shouted,  "All 
aboard!"  and  the  last  of  the  party  hurried  down  to 
the  wharf  and  into  the  boats  and  were  rowed  to  the 
schooner. 

"Is  everybody  and  everything  aboard  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Benton. 

"  Guess  'tis,"  answered  Mr.  Ready. 

"We'll  hope  that  nothing  is  left." 


THE   CONCLUSION.  461 

"  Mr.  Taylor  has  left  something,"  laughed  Allie,  as  he 
saw  that  gentleman  disappearing  into  the  cabin. 

"  What  have  /left  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  Three  fish  hooks  in  the  lake,"  responded  the  young 
torment. 

Instead  of  getting  provoked  the  latter  laughed  good- 
naturedly  and  replied : 

"  Well,  if  I  haven't  left  anything  else,  that's  nothing ; 
but  you  have  left  something,  also." 

"What  have  I  left  ?  "  said  Allie. 

"  You  better  go  back  and  stay  all  winter  and  then  you 
might  find  some  of  them." 

"  What  is  it,  tell  me  ?  " 

"Good  resolutions  about  studying  your  lessons," 
laughed  Mr.  Taylor,  as  he  disappeared  into  the  cabin, 
while  the  laugh  remained  on  Allie. 

And  now  the  order  was  given  to  hoist  sail,  —  and  as 
the  anchor  chain  clinked  to  the  pump  of  the  windlass, 
the  sails  were  set,  and  the  Snow  Flake  slipped  the  little 
harbor,  and  the  home  voyage  was  begun. 

Nearly  the  whole  family  stood  at  the  stern  rail  taking 
a  farewell  look  at  the  place  that  had  been  so  pleasant  a 
home  for  them  during  the  summer.  As  the  schooner 
rounded  the  point  Eva  took  her  handkerchief  hastily- 
out  of  her  pocket  and  dashed  away  a  tear ;  then,  as  if 
ashamed  to  be  seen  crying,  she  gave  it  a  parting  wave, 
and  everybody  took  out  theirs  and  followed  her  example. 
A  moment  more  and  all  the  well-known  features  of  the 
place  were  hidden  behind  the  bluff  and  left,  perhaps  for- 
ever, but  as  a  picture  in  the  memory  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. 

And  now  the  wind  began  to  freshen,  and  the  Snow 
Flake  scud  before  it  like  a  gull  upon  the  wing.  Faster 


462  WRECKED   ON  LABRADOR. 

and  faster  she  seemed  to  go,  until  orders  were  given  to 
take  in  the  topsails,  then  the  outer  jibs,  and  finally  both 
fore  and  mainsails  were  double-reefed  and  put  wing  and 
wing ;  then  she  seemed  literally  to  fly. 

All  hands  retired  to  the  cabin  early  that  night,  and  by 
dusk  the  side  lights  were  out,  beside  the  one  in  the  cabin 
and  the  binnacle. 

All  night  long  the  gallant  little  schooner  traveled  with 
might  and  main,  and  the  next  day  and  the  next  night, 
too.  The  morning  of  the  third  day  out,  a  dim,  dark  mass 
of  cloud-like  substance  appeared  on  the  port  side  of  the 
vessel,  away  in  the  distance. 

"  Land ! "  cried  the  man  at  the  wheel. 

"  Where  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Anticosti,  on  the  port  side  ! "  fairly  screamed  the  man 
at  the  wheel,  in  reply. 

Towards  noon  a  little  white  speck  was  seen  in  the  dim 
distance,  on  the  starboard  side. 

"  That's  the  port  we're  going  to>"  pointed  the  captain 
to  Mr.  Benton,  who  was  standing  near. 

About  four  in  the  afternoon  the  little  schooner  was 
snugly  anchored  in  the  harbor,  and  all  hands  trooping  on 
shore  once  more. 

Here  Mr.  Benton  easily  disposed  of  the  remainder  of 
his  stock  of  provisions,  dry  goods,  and  nicknacks,  to  good 
advantage  (to  be  retraded  with  the  Indians  for  furs)  and 
immediately  set  to  work  unloading.  That  night  all  slept 
on  shore,  and  were  well  fed  with  real  milk,  new  butter 
on  their  bread,  and  cream  in  their  tea  and  coffee. 

"  This  is  almost  as  good  as  getting  home,"  cried  Eva, 
in  transports. 

Early  the  next  morning  all  were  on  board  once  more, 
and  off  the  Snow  Flake  sped  towards  Quebec. 


THE    CONCLUSION.  463 

A  day  of  calm,  one  of  pleasant  weather,  two  of  fog,  and 
a  fifth  fair  day  again,  brought  them  to  where  they  could 
see  both  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  It  seemed  as  if  they 
were  sailing  right  into  a  mass  of  hills,  with  green  slopes 
and  pleasant  farming  lands,  as  the  banks  on  either  side 
grew  narrower  and  narrower.  Soon  the  houses  began  to 
appear,  then  to  grow  more  numerous,  and,  as  the  weather 
continued  fine,  and  the  wind  riot  too  strong,  the  family 
would  bring  their  stools  on  deck,  or  throw  some  shawl  or 
spread  over  the  cabin  deck,  and  sit  there  and  watch  the 
beautiful  scenery  as  they  advanced  and  it  changed. 

Seventeen  days  after  starting,  the  Snow  Flake  drew  up 
to  the  wharf  at  Quebec.  It  was  about  noon,  and  all  re- 
paired to  the  hotel  for  dinner. 

Later  in  the  day,  Mr.  Benton  had  no  difficulty  in  dis- 
posing of  all  of  his  fish  at  a  good  bargain,  and  then  he 
paid  off  the  crew  and  the  charter  of  the  vessel,  and  bade 
the  men  good-bye  as  they  took  their  leave,  perhaps  for- 
ever, of  those  who  had  been  their  summer  companions. 
It  was  really  an  affecting  sight  to  see  those  rough,  brown 
and  brawny  men  draw  their  sleeves  across  their  eyes  as 
they  took  their  final  leave.  Mr.  Benton  was  careful  to 
see  to  it  that  each  had  a  little  present  besides  the  regular 
amount  due  them,  and  then  the  family  returned  to  the 
hotel  for  tea  and  the  night. 

"  There  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  as  they  were  being 
driven  to  the  hotel.  "  All  the  bills  paid  and  forty-nine 
hundred  dollars  in  pocket,  besides  what  I  had  before,"  lay- 
ing particular  emphasis  on  the  last  portion  of  the  clause. 

"  Well  done,"  cried  Mr.  Weatherby,  from  out  of  the 
darkness  of  one  corner  of  the  coach. 

Then  the  driver  stopped,  and  they  all  got  out  and 
entered  the  hotel  together  and  were  shown  to  their  rooms. 


464  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

After  supper  came  the  barber's  shop,  then  the  bath  tubs, 
then  clean  new  undergarments  all  around  for  the  next 
day,  and  new  suits  of  clothes,  and  new  hats.  In  fact,  you 
would  hardly  have  known  the  party  twenty-four  hours 
after  they  had  landed,  so  great  had  been  the  change. 

The  next  day  a  party  of  very  respectable  looking  peo- 
ple paraded  the  "Terrace,"  and  looked  down  upon  the 
waters  and  the  streets  beneath  them,  and  drank  in  the 
delicious  mild  air  about  them,  as  if  they  were  a  party  of 
tourists  from  some  fashionable  summer  resort,  instead 
of  a  lot  of  rescued  castaways. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Benton,  "this  is  even  finer  than  I 
had  expected." 

"What  is?"  asked  Allie. 

"  Oh,  everything  is  —  the  air,  the  sights  about  us,  and 
the  situation  in  general." 

"  Yes,"  cried  Mr.  Taylor,  enthusiastically,  "  the  '  situa- 
tion in  general '  is  much  improved ;  decidedly  so,  decid- 
edly so ! " 

After  staying  in  Quebec  a  couple  of  days,  they  all  took 
the  cars  for  Boston. 

A  letter  had  given  the  jolly,  good-natured  cook  notice 
of  their  coming,  and  she  was  ready  waiting  for  them 
with  a  regular  Thanksgiving  dinner  of  roast  turkey  and 
mince  pies. 

May's  face  fairly  shone  as  she  greeted  them,  and  kissed 
them  all  around  affectionately. 

"  Oh,  May ! "  cried  Eva,  clasping  her  sister  fervently. 
"I'm  so  sorry  you  were  not  with  us,  such  a  perfectly 
splendid  and  romantic  time  as  we've  had." 

"Why,  Eva,  you  know  that  somebody  had  to  stay 
home.  And  I'd  much  rather  hear  you  tell  about  it  than 
to  go  myself." 


THE    CONCLUSION.  465 

It  was  weeks  before  May  got  the  whole  story.  Each 
one  had  something  new  and  different  to  tell,  and  each 
different  sides  of  the  same  story.  Everybody  soon  got 
comfortably  settled  down  once  more ;  the  children  went 
to  school,  and  the  older  folks  attended  to  the  business 
affairs  of  the  household.  Winter  came  upon  them  sud- 
denly one  morning  in  the  shape  of  a  tremendous  snow- 
storm, which  had  fallen  during  the  night, — but  this 
time  they  were  all  "prepared  for  it." 

When  Mr.  Benton  returned  to  his  business  he  found 
affairs  so  satisfactory  and  well  conducted  that  he  was 
surprised.  Everything  had  been  done  that  could  be  done 
for  the  good  of  the  firm,  and  everything  was  in  good 
working  order.  The  business  had  been  legally  trans- 
ferred to  Mr.  Benton's  name,  and,  one  morning,  every- 
body was  surprised  (and  no  one  more  so  than  a  certain 
individual  himself),  by  seeing  a  new  firm's  name,  in 
large  gilt  letters  on  a  black  board  sign,  of 


BENTON   &   WEATHERBY. 


J 


directly  over  Mr.  Benton's  doorway. 

Hal  Weatherby  was  walking  down  Pearl  Street  that 
morning,  thinking,  to  himself,  of  lots  of  little  "I  wishes," 
"whys,"  "ifs,"  etc.,  when  somebody  passed  him  and 
touched  their  hat  pleasantly.  Then  somebody  else,  then 
several  people  nodded  good-naturedly. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  thought  Hal  to  himself. 

Just  as  he  turned  a  corner  he  saw  quite  a  crowd  look- 
ing up  curiously  at  a  big  sign  above  them.  Mechanically 
he  turned  up  his  eyes  also  and  read : 


BENTON  AND  WEATHERBY. 


466  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

He  stood  still  and  stared  with  utter  amazement.  The 
crowd  opened  to  let  him  pass,  and  all  nodded  or  touched 
their  hats.  Hal  rushed  breathlessly  into  the  counting- 
room.  Everybody  made  way  for  him  and  smiled  at  his 
evident  amazement.  He  rushed  past  them  all  and  into 
Mr.  Benton's  private  room,  where  he  sank  down  upon 
the  sofa  quite  overcome.  Mr.  Benton  took  a  chair  be- 
side him,  and  matters  were  soon  explained  and  arranged 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties. 

The  boys  now  gave  themselves  up  to  study,  and,  under 
Mr.  Taylor's  directions,  made  real  progress.  They  at- 
tended school  regularly,  and  as  Mr.  Taylor  had  been 
chosen  principal,  the  school  succeeded  wonderfully. 
Everybody  was  pleased  with  his  management,  and  he 
became  the  general  favorite  of  both  scholars  and'  their 
parents.  The  more  they  knew  him  the  better  they  liked 
him.  The  boys  all  tried  to  see  which  could  please  him 
the  most  and  have  the  best  lessons,  and  he  was  as  eager 
as  they  for  the  recesses  and  holidays,  taking  part  in  their 
sports  and  encouraging  them  in  every  way  possible. 

During  these  long  winter  evenings  the  boys  were 
busy  at  something  besides  their  lessons.  They  had 
bird  skins  to  stuff  and  mount,  eggs  to  number,  name, 
and  arrange,  and  a  host  of  things  to  do.  They  built 
them  a  cabinet.  An  old  room  in  the  back  shed  of  the 
house  served  as  a  "museum  building,"  and  they  formed 
themselves  into  a  Natural  History  Society.  The  name 
of  the  Society  was  printed  in  black  letters  on  the  outside 
of  the  door : 


"THE  AUK.' 


"What  do  you  call  it  'The  Auk'  for? "  asked  Eva,  of 
Freddie,  one  day. 


THE    CONCLUSION.  467 

"  Oh ! "  said  Freddie,  "  girls  don't  know  anything  about 
these  things,  but  I'll  tell  you,  if  you  won't  tell  anybody. 
You  see  the  auk  was  the  name  of  a  bird  that  is  now 
known  to  be  extinct,  all  dead  you  know,  so  this  is  in 
honor  of  him ;  and  you  see  we  are  supposed  to  be  very 
wise  about  things  that  we  really  know  very  little  of." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  exclaimed  Eva,  "  I  see.  I'm  so  glad  that 
there  is  at  least  one  person  that  has  the  honesty  to  con- 
fess his  ignorance." 

"Isn't  it  Shakespeare,"  said  Freddie,  not  heeding  the 
interruption,  "  that  says  '  most  ignorant  of  what  he's  most 
assured '  ?  " 

"Now,  then,"  said  Eva,  "that  spoils  it  all;  you  shouldn't 
boast,  Freddie.  You  might  be  like  the  green  bay  tree. 
It  made  an  awful  big  show,  but  they  looked  for  it,  and 
lo !  it  was  not." 

"  No ! "  exclaimed  Freddie,  "  that's  not  me,  but  the 
other  fellow ! " 

"But  there's  the  dinner  bell,"  said  Freddie,  "and  I 
thought  it  was  about  ten  o'clock." 

"  That's  because  'tis  Saturday,"  laughed  Eva. 

"Well,  I'm  very  sure  'tis  dinner  time,  but  I  didn't 
know  it,"  shouted  Fred,  as  he  rushed  for  the  wash-bowl. 

An  hour  later  and  Allie  and  Freddie  were  seen  march- 
ing off  towards  the  woods,  the  back  way,  with  their  guns 
on  their  shoulders  and  their  knapsacks  on  their  backs. 

"The  Auk"  grew  and  prospered,  and  furnished  amuse- 
ment for  many  a  lonely  evening  and  dreary  Saturday. 

The  boys  were  never  idle  for  a  minute,  and  were 
always  devising  some  new  amusement  for  their  own  sakes 
and  the  contentment  of  the  rest  of  the  family,  whose 
chief  happiness  lay  in  seeing  them  happy  and  always 
"busily  employed. 


4t!S  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

One  day  Mr.  Benton  was  in  the  city  looking  about  in 
the  bookstores  for  some  Christmas  presents  for  his 
nephews  and  nieces  and  children,  and  came  across  a 
book  entitled,  Our  Boys  in  Labrador,  —  or  something  of 
the  kind.  He  bought  the  book  and  read  it  through. 
He  always  believed  that  Mr.  Murphy  wrote  that  book, 
but  could  never  get  him  to  say  so. 

At  last  the  long  winter  months  wore  away  and  the 
snow  began  to  disappear.  Spring  set  in  with  a  long 
storm  of  fog  and  rain  that,  when  it  cleared,  showed  bare 
ground  once  more,  and  hillsides  and  fields  covered  with 
patches  of  green,  the  faintest  imaginable,  yet  none  the 
less  welcome  as  signs  of  what  were  soon  to  come.  The 
robins,  the  bluebirds,  and  the  linnets  soon  began  to 
appear  and  fill  the  air  with  song  and  sweet  melody. 

One  night,  after  everybody  had  gone  to  bed,  and  in 
the  midst  of  a  pouring  rain  storm,  the  door-bell  received 
a  violent  jerk,  then  a  series  of  pulls,  that  made  it  jingle 
as  if  the  house  was  on  fire. 

Mr.  Benton  rushed  to  the  window,  opened  it,  put  out  his 
head,  and  in  no  very  mild  terms  demanded  who  was  there. 

A  tall  man,  almost  smothered  in  a  big  hat  and  cape 
cloak,  immediately  inquired  if  that  was  Mr.  Benton. 

The  reply  being  yes,  he  further  stated  that  he  had 
very  important  business  that  needed  immediate  attention 
and  requested  an  interview. 

Mr.  Benton  hurriedly  dressed  himself,  and  went  down 
to  the  door,  and  let  his  visitor  in,  who  immediately 
threw  off  his  cloak  and  hat  and  disclosed,  to  Mr.  Ben- 
ton's  utter  amazement,  his  own  brother.  The  lohg  lost 
returned,  who  was  supposed  to  have  been  dead  for  ten 
years,  having  gone  to  Australia,  and  had  never  been 
heard  from  since. 


THE    CONCLUSION.  469 

"  Well,  Ned ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Benton,  shaking  his 
brother's  hand  most  heartily,  "thank  the  Lord  you're 
home  once  more." 

The  whole  house  was  immediately  aroused,  and  a 
lunch  and  cup  of  hot  coffee  prepared  for  the  prodigal. 
Then  they  all  listened  to  his  story. 

It  seemed  that  he  had  run  away  from  home,  shipped 
for  Australia,  reached  there  in  the  midst  of  the  gold 
fever,  and  immediately  gone  to  work  in  a  mine.  For 
six  years  he  had  barely  earned  his  bread,  then  he  at  last 
struck  a  vein,  followed  it  up,  and  saved  every  possible 
grain,  until  he  had  sold  out  to  his  partner,  and  found 
himself  possessed  of  over  a  hundred  thousand  in  clear 
cash.  With  this  he  had  started  for  home,  to  find  if  any 
of  the  family  were  living,  and  had  just  arrived. 

The  warm-hearted  and  sincere  congratulations  from 
all  assured  the  wanderer  of  his  welcome,  and  having 
been  shown  to  his  chamber,  they  all  retired  for  the  night 
once  more,  to  sleep  if  they  could,  and  to  dream  of  all 
the  wonderful  things  that  had  happened. 

The  next  was  a  gala  day,  and  all  the  children  staid 
home  from  school  to  see  Uncle  Ned.  There  was  another 
grand  dinner,  too.  Max  —  for  it  was  he  —  again  fairly 
outdid  himself,  and  shed  new  luster  over  the  Bentons' 
table. 

After  the  dinner  Mr.  Benton  and  his  brother  spent  a 
long  time  together  discussing  business  matters  and  other 
topics. 

By  the  time  they  were  finished  it  had  been  settled 
that  Uncle  Ned  should  come  into  business  with  Benton 
&  Weatherby,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties. 

Within  a  year,  the  boys  heard  that  Mr.  Murphy  had 
gone  to  the  West  Indies,  probably  to  write  up  another 


470  WRECKED    ON  LABRADOR. 

book;  Mr.  Furness  had  gone  into  the  fish  business  in 
Montreal ;  Mr.  Jacobs  had  become  a  professor  in  a  col- 
lege ;  Mr.  Bemis  was  still  in  Mr.  Benton's  employ ;  Mr. 
Cooper  had  received  full  insurance  for  the  loss  of  the 
Sea  Foam;  the  other  members  of  the  party  were  all 
well ;  and  Mr.  Ready  was  trying  to  get  up  another  ex- 
pedition to  Labrador. 
And  so  we  leave  them. 

THE   END. 


Six  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 

By  J    A    K 
12mo.     Illustrated.     $1.25  per  Vol. 

BIRCHWOOD. 

"A  hearty,  honest  boys'  book,  which  young  people  are  sure  to  enjoy." — A'.  Y. 
Mail  and  Express. 

"An  eminently  wholesome  and  good  book."  —  Ziotfs  Herald. 

"  An  excellent  story  for  boys,  inculcating  the  valuable  truth  that  whether  a  boy  be 
rich  or  poor  he  should  learn  to  work.  There  is  also  a  good  temperance  lesson  taught ; 
and  it  is  all  told  in  a  simple  way,  that  ought  to  interest  young  readers. " — Literary  World. 

RIVERSIDE   MUSEUM. 

"Thoroughly  healthy  in  tone." — Nation. 

"  A  very  charming  story  for  young  folks."  —  Inter-Ocean. 

"  In  a  pleasant,  easy  style,  the  writer  shows  how  children  aiming  at  improvement 
can  find  around  a  village  the  objects  in  Nature  which  develop  thought  and  knowl- 
edge." —  Christian  Intelligencer. 

THE    FITCH   CLUB. 

"A  very  interesting  and  very  profitable  story."  — Hartford  Post. 

"The  author  has  a  happy  way  of  telling  a  story  in  just  the  style  calculated  to  interest 
boys."  —  Christian  Union. 

"  A  pure  and  interesting  story  for  the  boys  and  girls.  Ways  and  means  of  doing 
many  useful  things  are  so  naturally  and  pleasantly  told  that  the  information  does  not 
appear  like  teaching,  but  like  story-telling."  —  Kansas  City  Times. 

PROFESSOR  JOHNNY. 

"An  admirable  book  for  teaching  boys  the  science  of  common  things." — Home 
Journal. 

"  Combines  scientific  information,  wise  moral  instruction,  and  capital  entertainment 
in  good  proportions."  —  The  Congregationalist. 

"  It  is  characterized  by  that  uncommon  thing  —  common  sense."  —  Christian  Index. 

WHO  SAVED  THE  SHIP. 

"  Good  wholesome  reading."  —  Milwaukee  Sentinel. 

"One  of  the  brightest  books  of  the  season."  —  Ohio  State  Journal. 

"Admirable  in  tone  and  full  of  interest."  —  Boston  Traveller. 

THE  GIANT  DWARF. 

"  Young  and  old  will  read  the  story  with  pleasure."  —  Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

"The  author  of  '  Birchwood,'  '  Prof.  Johnny,'  and  other  tales,  will  always  be  sure 
of  a  welcome  among  young  people,  and  '  The  Giant  Dwarf '  will  be  found  to  rank 
among  his  most  fascinating  work."  —  Boston  Traveller. 


THOMAS  Y.    CROWELL   &   CO. 

13  ASTOR  PLACE,  NEW  YORK. 


"The  Best  Book  for  Boys  that  has  yet  been  written.  We 
say  this  with  Tom  Brown's  delightful  School  Days  fresh 
in  our  recollection."  —  Portland  Press. 


CUORE. 


AN  ITALIAN  SCHOOL-BOY'S  JOURNAL. 

By  EDMONDO  DE  AMICIS.    Translated  from  the  39th 
Italian  Edition  by  Isabel  F.  Hapgood. 

I2mo.    $1.25. 

In  this  delightful  volume,  so  unconventional  in  form,  so  fresh  and 
energetic  in  style,  Signor  de  Amicis  has  given  not  only  the  heart  his- 
tory of  an  Italian  lad  but  also  a  very  vivid  and  attractive  picture  of 
modern  life  in  Italy.  He  is  a  genuine  boy  who  is  supposed  to  write 
the  story,  and  all  the  events,  incidents,  and  observations  are  seen 
through  a  boy's  bright  young  eyes.  The  descriptions  of  school  ex- 
periences, of  festivals  and  public  ceremonies,  of  scenes  in  city  and 
country,  are  all  full  of  color  and  charm,  and  are  inspired  by  a  genuine 
love  for  humanity. 

"A  charming  and  wholesome  volume."  —  Albany  Journal. 
"Just  the  thing  for  school-boys."  —  Beacon. 

"  Its  topics  are  such  as  boys  take  delight  in.  *  *  *  The  moment  a  boy  begins  to 
read  it  he  decides  to  50  through  with  it."  —  Cleveland  Leader. 

"Can  not  be  spoken  of  in  too  high  terms  of  praise."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

"  Filled  with  incidents  delightfully  described."  — Albany  Press. 

"  No  wonder  the  work  has  reached  its  thirty-ninth  edition ."'  —  Nonvich  Journal. 

"  Deserves  a  place  beside  Tom  Bailey  and  Tom  Brown."  —  Commercial  Bulletin, 
Boston. 

"  Written  in  just  the  style  to  please  healthy  boys."  —  Ohio  State  Journal. 

"  Lovers  of  literature  will  be  delighted  with  it."  —  Mail  and  Express,  New  York. 

"  A  vovage  into  those  wondrous  regions,  the  heart,  soul  and  pocket  of  a  school-boy. 
*  *  *  Full  of  striking  and  beautiful  passages." — Critic,  New  York, 


THOMAS  Y.    CROWELL   &   CO. 

13  ASTOR  PLACE,  NEW  YORK. 


$150O    PRIZE    STORY. 


THE   BLIND  BROTHER. 

A     STORY    OF    THE    MINES. 

By  HOMER  GREENE. 
12mo,  cloth.    23O  pp.     14  illustrations.    9O  cents. 

"The  recent  prize  competition  for  stories,  held  by  the  publishers  of 
the  Youth's  Companion,  called  forth  about  5000  aspirants  for  literary 
honors,  among  that  multitude,  Mr.  Homer  Greene,  of  Honesdale,  Pa., 
whose  story,  the  Blind  Brother,  took  the  first  prize  of  $1500,  probably 
the  largest  sum  ever  paid  for  a  story  to  a  hitherto  comparatively  un- 
known writer.  The  Blind  Brother  deals  with  life  in  the  coal-mining 
region  of  the  Wyoming  Valley,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  dramatic 
intensity,  power  of  characterization,  humor  and  pathos." 

"There  are  4,000,000  boys  in  the  United  States  from  10  to  16  years  of  age.  This 
story  was  written  for  them.  We  wish  every  one  of  the  number  to  read  it.  A  style  ot 
writing  more  simple,  clear,  direct,  forcible,  and  attractive  could  not  be  desired." — 
National  ReprMican,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"This  wonderfully  pathetic  and  beautiful  creation."  —  Wilkesbarre  Union-Leader. 

"  It  is  a  pleasure  to  think  of  anything  at  once  so  entertaining,  so  healthful,  and  so 
artistic,  falling  into  the  hands  of  youthful  readers."—  The  Critic,  New  York. 

"  Well  conceived,  prettily  told,  and  enlivened  with  effective  touches  of  light  and 
shade."—  The  Epoch,  New  York. 

"A  story  of  remarkable  power  and  pathos."  —  Chicago  Advance. 
"Replete  with  thrilling  incidents." — N.  Y.  Journal. 

"  Full  of  interest,  full  of  information  not  usually  stumbled  upon,  and  full  of  lesson'* 
of  morality  and  true  manliness."  —  Christian  Standard. 

"  The  plot  natural  and  arousing  deep  interest,  whilst  the  story  has  its  humorous  anr* 
its  touching  passages."  —  Presbyterian  Banner,  Pittsburgh. 

"  So  sweet  and  touching  that  the  moral  is  profound."  —  New  Haven  Palladium, 

"  A  good  strong  story,  told  with  simplicity  and  directness.  —  Christian  Intelligence* 
.  New  York. 


THOMAS   Y.    CROWELL   &   CO. 

13   ASTOR   PLACE,    NEW    YORK. 


"The  most  interesting  books  to  me  are  the  histories  of 
individuals  and  Individual  minds,  all  autobiographies 
and  the  like.  This  is  my  favorite  reading."— H.  W. 
Longfellow. 

FAMOUS  AMERICAN  AUTHORS. 

By  Mrs.  SARAH  K.  BOLTON,  author  of  "Poor  Boys  who 
became  Famous,"  "Girls  who  became  Famous," 
"Stories  from  Life,"  etc.,  etc. 

Illustrated  with  Portraits.    12 mo.    $1.5O. 

Short  biographical   sketches  of    Holmes,   Longfellow,   Emerson, 
Lowell,  Aldrich,  Mark  Twain,  and  other  noted  writers. 


"  Bright  and  chatty,  giving  glimpses  into  the  heart  and  home  life  of  some  whom  the 
•world  delights  to  honor.  *  *  *  At  once  accurate,  inviting,  instructive." — CAau- 
tauquan. 

"  After  reading  it,  the  most  ordinary  mind  cannot  fail  to  know  Emerson." —  Cleve- 
land Leader. 

"Written  wisely  and  well,  enthusiastically  and  entertainingly."  —  N.  E.  Journal of 
Education. 

"Especially  rich  in  the  little  events  and  acts  which,  though  often  overlooked,  give 
one  a  clearer  idea  of  character  than  those  which  are  marked  as  leading  events  " — 
Inter-Ocean,  Chicago. 

"Nothing  dry  about  the  book.  *  *  *  Should  find  a  place  in  the  libraries  of 
those  who  can  afford  but  few  books."  —  Omaha  Daily  Times, 

"A  book  of  rare  fascination."  —  Interior,  Chicago. 

"Nothing  is  wanting  in  the  production  of  the  volume."  —  National  Republican 

"  Will  always  hold  rank  in  English  liierature,  and  all  lovers  of  American  authors 
should  read  it."  —  Ohio  State  Journal. 

"  Young  people  especially  will  find  it  replete  with  entertaining  pictures  of  authors 
known  and  loved  by  all  the  firesides  of  the  land."  —  A^.  Y.  Observer. 

"  Filled  with  details  which  to  the  bulk  of  readers  will  be  new."  —  Albany  Press. 


THOMAS  Y.    CROWELL   &   CO. 

13   ASTOR   P»  *CE,    NEW  YORK. 


290Q         SteT^rns>   Winfrid  Alden 
E37W8  Wrecked  on  Labrador 


PLEASE  DO  NOT  REMOVE 
CARDS  OR  SLIPS  FROM  THIS  POCKET 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO  LIBRARY